Boiling Water
by Writerswand
Summary: "I placed my hand on top of his, leaned in closer to him, and whispered in his ear. 'No Fire, Zuko.'" What if Katara was found out of being the last Southern water bender and kidnapped? What if Zuko wasn't banished? What if Sokka found Aang alone? Let the revised adventure begin... AU Zutara JetxJojo Tokka AangxOn Ji SukixKinto (Many pairings experimented with throughout story)
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is my rewritten version of my Zutara fanfiction :) Though, it's not complete, it never has been, 'cause I'm a lazy procrastinator. :(  
Anyway;  
Continued summary/plot: What if Zuko didn't speak up at the war meeting, didn't fight his Father and didn't get banished? What if Katara saw her mother getting murdered, became angered and used water bending in front of the fire bender? What if he kidnapped her and brought her to the fire nation instead of killing her? What if only Sokka found Aang?  
Let the revised adventure begin, in an alternate universe...**

**Zuko: 11 years  
Katara: 7 years  
Sokka: 9 years  
Azula, Ty Lee, Mai: 7 years**

**Writerswand  
Boiling Water  
Chapter 1**

_**Zuko**_

I sat with my mom under the cherry tree by the ponds outside the palace, our favorite spot. Azula, my little sister, and her friends played on the opposite side of the pond. Ty-lee kart-wheeled all over the place and my sister sat laughing at her. Mai sat on the ground board, playing with her little toy weapons.  
Ty-lee stood on her hands and grinned. "How you guys like it?"  
"Awesome," Mai said in a bored tone.  
"It was great, but I can do better," Azula said, springing to her feet. She raised her arms and conjured up lightning. She pointed and directed it west. It flew and hit a tree branch; it cracked and fell right next to me. I jumped up, startled. Azula laughed, causing Ty-lee to laugh.  
"Azula," my mom said with a stern gaze.  
Azula stopped laughing, narrowing her eyes. She turned to Ty-lee and grinned.  
"Always the greatest, princess," Ty-lee said curtsying.  
I rolled my eyes and turned to watch the baby turtle ducks follow their mother.  
"Hey Mom, you want to see what Azula does to turtle ducks?" I asked picking up a small, smooth stone. I threw it at a baby turtle duck causing it to go under.  
"Zuko! Why would you do that!?" My mom cried out, as if she was the one struck with a stone.  
My jaw fell slack as I watched the spot where the turtle duck went under. A few seconds later it came back up and started swimming. I let out a sigh. Then the mother turtle duck walked out of the pond and bit my foot. It promptly wadded back into the pond.  
"Ow!" I cried holding my foot, tears forming in the corners of my eyes.  
"Serves you right," My mom said, grinning.  
I held my foot, rubbing it. "Stupid duck," I muttered.  
"You don't mess with a mother's babies or she will come up and get you!" My mom said, crying out at the 'get you' part. She reached over to me and grabbed me. She pulled me over to her and started to tickle me. I laughed, grinned, and struggled with her, until she stopped after a few moments. She held me in her arms until I wriggled away.  
She sighed. "And a mother also has to know when to let her babies go," My mom said before standing up and walking back into the palace.  
When her friends had left to go home Azula walked into my room where I lay on my bed, board out of my mind.  
"Dad's having a war meeting, I'm going to go," she told me.  
"How did you find out?" I asked.  
She shrugged. "Uncle Iroh was talking to himself again, he was drinking his tea and chuckling," she grinned.  
"You were eavesdropping?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. Why was I surprised? That was normal Azula.  
She shrugged again. "So what? He's just a crazy old man,"  
"Uncle's not crazy!" I persisted.  
"Whatever, the meeting will be starting in a bit, I should be going,"  
"How do you know you will be allowed?"  
"I'm the princess, I'll find a way," she said before turning around and walking to the door.  
She stopped in the door frame and turned her head part way to me. "Oh, you should go as well if you want to be fire lord some day," she said before skipping off.  
…She had a point. As much as I hated to admit.

I walked to the meeting room with my uncle.  
"Are you sure you don't want to come have tea with me instead? Maybe throw in a game of Pai Sho?" he asked me.  
I sighed. He's been trying to get me out of this for the whole walk. "Azula's going, I think I should,"  
Uncle Iroh sighed. "War meetings aren't for young people like yourself, they can be quite...violent? Is that the word?" My uncle paused.  
"Azula's younger than me,"  
"She's different," Uncle said. "Not in a good way," he added.  
"But if I want to be Fire lord someday, I'll have to be present at the meetings," I pointed out.  
Uncle muttered something to himself that I could barely make out, something about me, my dad, fire lord, and should be.  
I shrugged as he walked away and I entered the meeting room.  
My dad wasn't present, but there was Azula, sitting with all the high ranking generals. They were discussing war strategy, new ones and old. They were planning and discussing, some were agreements, while others turned into arguments. Azula sat on the chair, her legs dangling off the edge as she watched them talk, her eyes wide with excitement. I sat down opposite Azula; my feet didn't quite reach the floor, so I rested them on the lower bar of the chair.  
The War meeting was quite boring actually. A quiet game of Pai Sho and a nice cup of tea might be nice right now. Azula listened attentively; her eyes glistened with excitement and anxiety. She made no comments though. This was her kind of thing. One strategy they were discussing made me want to throw up. They were going to put a large army in front of a city, while a smaller, stronger group attacked from behind, their weak point, distraction being the key. How could they waste so many lives? Why not just attack from behind from the start, a surprise attack. The meeting dragged on after that, my thoughts all tangled up.  
As the generals parted ways I left the meeting room relieved. Azula was waiting for me outside the door.  
"So how was it?" she asked as she leaned against the door.  
"The last strategy...I did not like, they would waste so many lives-"  
Azula cut me off. "Solders are supposed to risk their lives for their homelands right Zuko? If you didn't like it why didn't you speak out? I would have...if it wasn't so perfect. No, scratch that, I could have thought of something better, if it wasn't so good..."Azula trailed, lost in that evil mind of hers.  
"I didn't want to get in trouble; I'm only eleven, but..." I trailed unsure of what to say.  
"Do whatever it takes to win and rule the world, right Zuko? Kill a few on our side here and there if it demands it..." she trailed and shrugged.  
I watched as she walked away, perplexed. How could one little girl be so evil?

_Katara _

"Katara I'm hungry!" My brother called from behind me as we walked through the snow.  
That boy's always hungry; he would eat every second of every day if mama let him. Sokka was my brother, he was nine years old. My name's Katara; I'm seven years old and the last water bender of the Southern water tribe. The Fire Nation invaded and took a lot of our people. A few months back the men of our village, except for the old, went to fight in the war. Sokka wanted to go fight with our Dad but he's too young. Now he's determined to protect the village.  
"We're almost there! The penguins will be the next hill over!" I called back to him.  
Sokka mumbled to himself about going to die from lack of hunger and thirst and not wanting to go 'stupid penguin sledding with his little sister.'  
I rolled my eyes. "Eat some snow," I suggested.  
He bent down and picked some cold, white snow off the ground and placed it in his mouth. He chewed slowly. "Mmm, not half bad."  
I rolled eyes, not expecting him to take me seriously, or for not knowing you can eat snow and it tastes like water already.

We now stood in a small snowy field surrounded by penguins. I laughed as penguins surrounded me, trying to get fish out of the hand that I held out. I grabbed the nearest penguin and climbed on its back. Sokka was already on his, munching on a combination of fish and snow. I rolled my eyes as we started to sled. I laughed and screamed playfully as my penguin slid down the snowy hills on its belly. I clutched the penguin's back tightly. I looked over and saw Sokka munching on his fish and snow, one hand holding the food, the other the penguin. Occasionally he would cry out when his penguin went over a bump.  
After a while the penguins stopped by the water and we got off.  
"Thanks!" I cried as they waddled off and dived into the sea. I laughed and grinned as Sokka spoke, being his usual funny, sarcastic, meat loving self.  
I stopped laughing and my grin faulted when I saw Gran Gran running towards us.  
Sokka frowned. "What is it Gran Gran?"  
"Fire Nation...docked on ice...attacking..." she said out of breath from running.  
She soon caught her breath and continued. "I must get you children to a safe place! Hurry and follow me, don't drag your feet or your dead!" she quickly explained taking Sokka and my dark hands in her older ones. Sokka and I didn't bother to ask questions as she led us.  
We passed our shelter and I saw smoke coming out from the cooking fire.  
"Mama!" I cried, running to our shelter, breaking out of Gran Gran's grip.  
"Katara! Get back here!" Gran Gran called after me holding Sokka's hand.  
I ignored her and burst into the shelter. A tall, mean-looking loomed over Mama, he spoke in a voice so low I couldn't make out what he was saying. Mama didn't look scared...brave mama. Mama saw me but didn't speak or nothing. She directed her eyes over to the quilt she was mending. I shook my head, wanting to help her. Mama's eyes shifted back to the man, but her jaw became firm. I walked over to the quilt quietly and hid behind it.  
"I will ask you one more time, just tell me, if you do I will spare your village and leave you in peace, if not it will go up in flames, your choice, now, who is the last water bender?" he asked.  
Mama shook her head stubbornly.  
The solider sighed. "I heard a little one come in, maybe you will talk if I..." he trailed, walking over to the hanging quilt and pulled it aside, revealing me sitting on the ground, arms wrapped around my knees. I looked up at him with big blue eyes.  
"No!" Mama cried out. "I- I will tell you," Mama whispered.  
The mean man turned his head to her.  
"I'm the last water bender, take me, I'll go," she said hanging her head low.  
What is she saying? Mama can't bend...  
"Were not taking prisoners today dear," he said before stabbing her in the chest with his spear.  
She gasped in pain as he pulled it out. She fell to the floor, hands below her as she held herself up, close to death.  
I jumped up and ran to the mean man. I screamed at him, tears streaming down my face. I'm watching my mama die. I lifted my arms up and the snow outside the shelter lifted up and hit him. It melted on him for he was a fire bender.

He scowled. "You're the last water bender?" he was asking himself more than me. He looked over at mama. "She died trying to protect her daughter, how sweet,"  
"Sweeter then you! You killed Mama!" I spat at his boot.  
He didn't seem to hear me; his face looked as if the creator's light shined down on him, inspiring him. Hah! Like the Creator would shine down on such an evil man. He scowled when the spit hit his boot. "Pathetic," he said.  
He walked over to me and slapped a gag on my mouth so my screams wouldn't be heard. "You're going on a trip little one," he said picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder.  
"Be strong my little water bender, be strong," were my mom's last words.

The mean fire nation solider took me around the village so people wouldn't see him kidnapping me. I struggled and kicked him to get free but he held me too tightly. It didn't stop me from flailing my little arms around and hitting him in the back, my little legs couldn't get any farther down then his chest. He was too strong for little me.  
We were just boarding the ship when Sokka ran up to the man and jabbed him with his little spear.  
"Put my sister down you bastard!" he cried.  
The man chuckled and hit Sokka in the head with the butt of his spear. Sokka fell to the ground, unconscious. I let out a little whimper.  
"Be quiet," the man said before doing the same to me with his spear as he did to me brother.  
The last thing I knew before blacking out was being set on the floor of a cold metal ship.


	2. Chapter 2

**Writerswand  
Boiling Water  
Chapter 2  
**

***Katara* **

I sat huddled in the corner of a dark, dank cell, my arms wrapped around my knees. I shivered, only in my lightweight water tribe styled dress. My parka lay on the other side of the cell, cold and wet with snow. That would do more harm than good right now. I rubbed my hands on my arms, trying to keep warm. I had tried to escape earlier, but the spaces between the bars of the cell were too small for even me! I squeezed my eyes shut. Earlier today I had been penguin sledding with Sokka, I was happy. Who knew everything can turn out this way?  
I licked my dry lips. My throat and parched and I was very thirsty. I eyed my parka and suddenly had an idea. I lifted a good amount of water off of my parka and drank it. It tasted a little weird, probably from being on my parka. Then I had another idea. I drew in a deep breath and lifted all the water off my parka. I froze it into a large ice cube before dropping it in the corner of the cell for later. I crawled over to my newly warm and dry parka and threw it on.  
I quickly buttoned it up, it was difficult with cold and shaking hands but I managed. I instantly felt warmer, not by much, but that would change once I had it on longer. I wondered what the fire benders wanted me for. I couldn't help but be scared. I rubbed the blue stone in the necklace that Gran Gran gave me for my birthday last year. That always comforted me before.

***Zuko***

I sat by the pond outside the palace walls as I tossed smooth, round rocks into the pond. I watched them splash and create ripples and sometimes skip across the surface. I made sure to stay clear of the turtle ducks, it took a whole week for the bite the mother gave me to heal, and it hurt like heck. I sighed. I had no idea where my mom was. Actually...I had no idea where anybody was right now. Well...except for Azula, she was leaning against the palace wall. She walked over to me, playing with a bit of blue fire in her hand. She was already almost a master, and let me tell you— that fire is HOT.  
"Hey Zuzu, guess what?" she asked grinning as she tossed the blue flame between hands.  
I gritted my teeth at the much hated nickname. "Go away Azula," I said through my teeth.  
"I guess you don't want to know what I can provide."  
"No, I don't."  
"You don't want to know what the Naval Rank brought back with them from the South Pole?"  
"I couldn't care less."  
"Well it's a little girl," she said turning away to leave.  
I looked up surprised. "What?"  
"I thought you didn't want to know," she said turning her head back to me, her dark hair falling over her shoulder.  
"Tell me!"  
Azula grinned. "I'm not entirely sure about all of this, what they are planning, but she's apparently the last water bender of the South Pole. I'm not sure what they're doing with her at the moment though," she explained.  
I gave her a quizzical look.  
She shrugged before turning her head away from me. "Just telling you what I heard," she said before walking away.

I walked through the palace walls, thinking over all that Azula told me. It didn't make any sense. I heard voices coming from the hallway ahead of me. I ran forward, my shoes slapping hard against the red metal floor. I stopped at the end of the hallway and peeked out behind the corner. I saw a small group of soldiers, including a general, and a little girl between two tall men. The little girl wore a blue dress and had a blue coat hung over her arm. It's probably warmer in the Fire Nation then she's used to. She had long dark brown hair and wore a pretty blue necklace. Just then my mother ran up to the general.  
"What are you doing with this little girl!?" she demanded.  
"Lady Ursa," the General bowed. "I was just taking her to the prison hold while I discuss a future idea with the Firelord," he explained.  
"You were going to put her with a bunch of criminals!?" my mother asked appalled.  
"She's a water bender, a formidable enemy, Lady Ursa-"  
"She's a little girl!" she cried.  
"It's still the same."  
"No, I won't let you, I'll take her, you can go discuss your _ideas_ with my husband," she snapped before taking the girl's hand and stomping off. She whispered something to the little girl that I couldn't hear.  
The general grumbled something to himself before walking off. The soldiers scattered.  
"Prince Zuko," they nodded as they passed me. Some just ignored me and walked past.

***Katara***

When the soldiers led me through the Fire Nation palace, my first thought was: _Wow, they're taking me to the palace?_ my next thought was: _Wait...they're taking me to the palace!? _ I started fretting after that. While we walked through a hallway a dark haired lady ran up to the mean man. She began to talk to him, she seemed angry. I saw a pale skinned, dark haired boy peeking out from behind a corner, watching the scene unfold. He looked a little older than Sokka.  
The next thing I knew that that the lady, whose name I found out was Ursa, a pretty name, though it sounded a bit like a sea monster, held me by the hand and led me through the palace.  
"It's okay little one, I won't hurt you," she whispered kindly to me.  
I wondered if she was a fire bender. I found out she was the Firelord's wife, I didn't understand how the wife of someone so evil and wicked, could be so nice...  
"I have a girl about your age, how old are you?" she asked as we entered a room.  
"I'm seven, but I'll be turning eight in a little while Ma'am," I informed her.  
"Oh, were going to have to celebrate it then, my daughter just turned eight, you'll just love Fire nation parties, I think," she said looking through a trunk of what appeared to be clothes.  
She turned her head to look at me. "You can sit," she said before turning back to the trunk.  
I looked around, my eyes falling upon the large bed. I climbed up on it and sat down, my legs dangling off the edge. After a few moments kind Ursa turned around holding a red dress with a modest collar, sleeves that came down to about my elbow, and a flame pattern embroidered around the collar and ends. It was really pretty.  
"This use to be my daughter's..." Ursa trailed.  
I nodded as she helped me into the dress. She was very kind, like my mother...my mother. A tear fell down my cheek as I thought of her.  
"Do you have a name?" Ursa asked as she straightened out the dress.  
"Katara," I said.  
"That's pretty, do you have a family?" she asked tossing my clothes in the fireplace to burn in the fire. I swallowed, holding back tears.  
I nodded. "My brother Sokka isn't a bender, he's at the South Pole with my Gran Gran, my Papa's away at war and my Mama...she was killed by that mean man..." I sobbed, tears running down my face.  
Ursa looked at me with a distraught look on her face. She sat down and pulled me on her lap. "It'll be okay," she said running a hand through my hair.  
"You talk about your daughter a lot; will I be able to meet her?" I asked, still sobbing.  
Ursa laughed. "I'm not sure if you'll want to, she's a lot like her Father and more, Azula's a strange girl, even though she's closer to your age I think you'll like my son more, Zuko's more like me..." she trailed. "This is a spare bedroom, you can stay in it if you like, there's a brush on the dresser over there...I'll bring you some food later if you like," she added with a warm smile.  
I nodded. "Yes please."  
Ursa nodded and walked over to the door, closed it behind her, and locked it from the outside, with a key.  
I sighed and dropped off the bed and walked over to the tall dresser. I reached up and picked up the brush. I put the pretty brush to my hair.

Ursa made her way to the throne room where Ozai and the general who killed little Katara's mom were speaking. Ursa stood by the door and pursed her lips together impatiently as she waited for them to finish discussing ideas. When they were finished the general bowed and left the room, slightly nodding to Ursa as he passed her. Ursa walked up to her husband where he was surrounded by fire.  
"Put the fire out for God's sake Ozai!" Ursa demanded.  
The Firelord muttered something to himself and the fire slowly receded until there was no more.  
"What was that about?" Ursa asked noting the discussion between him and his general.  
"That's none of your business Ursa," he said smoothly.  
Ursa opened her mouth to speak but Ozai held up and hand and shushed her. "You seem to be pushing your power a bit too far don't you think? Your sticking your pretty little nose is places it doesn't belong."  
"But-"  
Ozai cut her off again. "My general told me you took the last water bender from him?"  
"Yes, He can't treat a child like that, Katara is-" She stopped speaking when Ozai spoke.  
"So now you're treating the enemy as your child?" he asked raising an eyebrow.  
"She's a little girl Ozai!" Ursa cried appalled.  
"I think it's time for you to leave," Ozai said coolly.  
"Tell me what you have in store for her!"  
"She's the perfect weapon, a young water bender we can mold into a faithful Fire Nation citizen. A water bender in the Fire Nation Ranks, perfect, I really need to rank up that general," he said mostly to himself.  
Ursa's mouth fell open. "Y-You're going to use her!? She's a person Ozai! She can die out there! She's not a toy you can experiment with! I forbid you to do that!" she cried enraged.  
Ozai's amber eyes flashed, turning to a fiery gold. "A _woman_ can't tell me what to do, leave now, and when I say leave, I mean forever."  
Ursa's jaw fell open. "You're banishing me?"  
Ozai made a _tsk tsk_ noise with his tongue and called soldiers out to escort a curse-flinging, enraged Ursa away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Writerswand  
Boiling Water  
Chapter 3  
**

**Katara**

A soft knock on the door echoed throughout the room as the fire crackled in the fireplace. I jumped off the bed and brushed down my new, red, flame patterned dress. I went to open the door but withdrew my hand when I remembered something Lady Ursa had told me.  
_'Do not open the door for anyone unless I say it's me, you don't know if that person will take kindly to you being here or not.' I nodded my understanding as she turned on her heel and left the room, closing and locking the door behind her. _Her voice rippled through my ears. Her pale face, long dark hair, and kind, dark eyes forever sketched into my memory. You could say she was kind of like a second mother to me, despite me not knowing her for very long.  
"Will you please open the door for me Katara? Lady Ursa told me to give you some supper," said a feminine voice from behind the door. It sounded strained, aged, but kind.  
I decided to trust her. I twisted the knob but the door was locked.  
"Oh, almost forgot, the Lady slipped me a key," she said as a golden key slid under the door. I picked it up, unlocked the door and then set it on the table beside me. I opened the door and shut it quietly after a pale skinned, white haired kindly, elderly looking woman entered.  
"Where's Lady Ursa?" I asked after she set the tray of food on the table by the end of the bed.  
The woman sat on the end of the bed as I stood by the door. She sighed. "I'm not sure if you will be seeing her anytime soon, maybe not ever again, if my hunches are right she was banished because of you," she told me.  
"Because of me?" I asked confused.  
"The Lady helped you, a water bender. She's a traitor now; the Firelord doesn't take kindly to that. Take it as a token of gratitude, bless the girl's heart," she explained, putting it simply.  
I nodded, a little sad. She got herself banished, for me! She had two kids to take care of too!  
"Lady Ursa asked me to take care of you. She told me you seem like a good little girl and that she thinks that you will grow up to be a wonderful, beautiful woman, My name is Ozana, I wouldn't leave the room for a bit, until things cool down, if you need anything hang this outside your door," She handed me a white lotus flower.  
I nodded as she sighed and left the room. I didn't get what the lotus flower symbolized, if it represented anything at all, but I set it on the bedside table anyways. I sat on the bed and picked up the tray. I set it on the bed and pulled my feet up onto the bed. I was barefoot. I crossed my legs as I pulled the tray closer to me. There was a bowl of steaming soup, part of a loaf of bread, and a tea cup of...milk. How did she know I hated tea? Maybe she suspected it because I'm only seven and most children don't like tea? Must be a grown up thing I guess. Maybe I'll like it when I'm older. I picked up the bread, it making a loud crunching sound.  
Bread was a delicacy back in the Southern Water Tribe. We sometimes didn't even get it once a year! We only were able to eat some when the Traders came back from the Earth Kingdom with it and other trade items. Gran Gran once told me you could tell how bread was by the sound it made. That loud crunch must have met that bread was good. I say was because I already finished it. After eating such good bread I quickly drained the bowl of soup. It was hot and it burned my tongue and throat but it was still delicious. I quenched by burning throat with the cold milk. The soup wasn't spicy so the hot sensation went away after I drained the cup if it's milk. I placed the tray back on the table and fell back onto the soft bed wondering what there was to do in this room.

**Zuko**

I lay in my canopied bed in my red room. My bed was made and I lay on top of the covers as I was careful not to mess up Ozana's work. My head and upper body rested against my beds numerous red pillows. Ozana was by far my favorite servant. She was almost like a second mom to me. Azula didn't like her much. No wonder why. You could say Ozana was Azula and my caretaker. She does a lot for us. Azula said she'll be doing a lot more since of what happened last night, I don't get that. I don't believe her. Azula always lies. I sat on my bed thinking, just thinking. One memory kept creeping into my thoughts, I couldn't not think about it, wonder about it. What if Azula had been telling the truth...?

_I lay in my bed on a day much like this one but I was a little younger. Azula skipped into my room._  
_In a singsong voice she sang: "Dad's going to kill you,"_  
_I sat up in my bed, messing up Ozana's careful work, surprised. "What! Where did you hear this?" I asked, but I already knew. She eavesdropped on private conservations, that's Azula for you. _  
_"I overheard Father and Grand-Father speaking, something about Father stealing Uncle's throne and he must be taught a lesson: 'you must lose your first born son just as Iroh had.'" Azula's imitation of Grand Father's voice wasn't half-bad._  
_My eyes grew wide as I spoke in a shaky voice. "Dad wouldn't do that to me."_  
_Azula laughed as she skipped out of my room, her message has been received, her job was done._  
_I sank down into my pillows, hands on my arms, eyes wide..._

I bit my lip. This happened a few years or so ago and nothing of the such has happened. My life hasn't been close to death at all, unless you count being bitten by a turtle-duck. I wonder sometimes.  
I jump and almost fall out of the bed, startled, when Ozana walked in.  
"Zuko? You seem...tense," she said softly, holding a tray.  
I shook my head. "I'm fine."  
Ozana didn't seem convinced but she nodded and handed me my breakfast tray.  
"Where's mom?" I asked. Normally she takes my tray from Ozana and delivers it to me herself, if I'm not up already, this being one of those days.  
Ozana bit her lip and I knew she was hiding something from me. "I'm not sure, maybe she's busy, overslept. How am I supposed to know! I'm not her babysitter!" she snapped, though I know she was lying through her teeth.  
I nodded and bit into my apple. Ozana turned and left. When I finished I left my tray on my bed and ran down the red hallways to my Father's throne room. My feet pounded loudly against the metal floors and my reflection shone in the shiny floors. The walls were draped in Fire Nation emblems. I finally reached the red throne room. Anyone who's new to the palace would find it annoying, so much red! My Father sat up in his high throne chair at the end of the long room, surrounded by tall walls of fire, giving him the dark, ghostly silhouette of my Dad. I walked closer; just close enough so we could hear each other but not so the fire would be too hot.  
"Where's mom?" I asked.  
He didn't answer, but just stared at me coldly. My eyes grew as I ran out of the room and through the hallways until I found Ozana.  
My eyes must have been teary or something because she stopped and her voice was soft and sweet. "What's wrong Zuko?" she asked.  
"Where's mom?" I choked out between ragged breaths and contained sobs.  
Ozana sighed. "I guess you would find out anyways, better me then someone else...Zuko, your  
mother's been banished."  
We stood there in silence for a few moments as my jaw dropped, my eyes grew and I felt as if my whole world fell to pieces, melt, blew away. "W-Why?" I stuttered.  
"For being herself," Ozana said simply before leaving.  
I wanted to know more but didn't bother to ask. I couldn't bring myself to ask anything more. Instead I walked over to a wall and slumped against it. My mother had been banished. One of the few people who actually cared about me. Probably the only person who cared about me who had influential power. Now that mom's gone, will Dad kill me? With her out of the way will he? I bit my lip. I didn't want to die. Then I remembered something.

Uncle.

Uncle wouldn't let me die. If he was still around I'll be safe...right? I was so confused, but I decided this was weak and...well...a little girly, yes, I said it. I stood up and wiped the tears from my eyes, fortunately no more fell. I started walking to Uncle's Quarters; I needed someone to talk to at the moment.

**A Few Weeks Later**

I was walking through the hallways, a little on edge. I glanced over my shoulder repetitively, not being able to calm myself. 'Zuko it's fine, everything's alright,' I kept telling myself as I walked. Remembering Uncle's voice was calming too. I was walking down a hallway when something caught my eye. I stopped abruptly and turned to face the door. A white lotus flower lay positioned on the door knob. I gently picked it up by one of its delicate white petals and held it in my palm. I looked at the pretty flower confused. Lotus flowers didn't grow anywhere near the palace. I wanted to know what it represented, if anything at all.  
I decided to go into the room. I silently opened the unlocked door. Inside the fully lit room was...Uncle and a little girl. Uncle sat on the end of the bed and the girl sat about a foot away. Her eyes were teary and red rimmed then. She must have been crying, but not anymore. She laughed at something Uncle said.  
The girl looked up and saw me. Tears formed in her eyes but none fell. Why did she want to cry when she saw me? Uncle saw me as well and stood up. He said something to the girl softly and she nodded. Uncle walked up to me and gently took the lotus flower from my hand and placed it on the table by the door. He nodded for me to leave, I did, he followed, shutting the door softly behind him. I looked at him confused.  
"The little water bender," he said softly.  
"The last one of the Southern Water Tribe?" I asked, remembering what Azula told me a while back.  
Uncle nodded. "It's her eighth birthday today."  
I nodded, feeling resent towards the girl. Sad cause no one came to her on her birthday? Come on.  
Uncle shook his head, somehow reading my face. Was it that easy to read? He's always said I'm an open book, Azula a closed one, whatever that meant.  
"She has a reason to be very sad, her birthday made her remember that she was taken away from everything she knew, her tribe, her family, her brother, her Father went away to fight in the War, her mother was killed by the general who brought her here..." Uncle trailed.  
I nodded, understanding, a rush of pity and emotion flooded through me, directed towards the little girl in that little room. She was only eight, Azula's age but she doesn't count, and this is her first birthday away from everything she loves and cares about.  
"What's her name?" I asked.  
"Katara," Uncle told me.  
Katara...that's a pretty name.  
"Zuko...I want to ask you to do a small favor for me," Uncle began.  
"What?" I asked.  
"Well not precisely for me," Uncle gave a little grin.  
Oh no...  
"I want you to bring Katara out of the room, show her around, show her the Fire Nation can be kind, treat her as a friend, a sister, but better then you treat Azula," Uncle smiled at his little joke.  
My jaw dropped. "That's not fair!" I whined.  
Uncle laughed. "What's not fair?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Writerswand  
Boiling Water  
Chapter 4  
**

**Zuko**

It's been a short six years since I first met Katara, six years since Uncle first told me to spend time with her. I did what I was told, not 24/7 but she was with me most of the time, she still slept in that little room at the end of the hall though. I admit, she was a nice little girl, she still is a nice girl even if she is now almost a woman herself. She's sweet, caring, funny, in a way she kind of reminds me of my mom, who I miss very much. I try to hide it from Katara, who seems very emotional, but she always seems to figure out when I'm sad. The good thing is that she's always able to cheer me up. She always has been able to do that. That's one of the reasons I love her so much. No, when I say love I mean like my sister, god, more than my actual sister. That water bender's my best friend. I love her so. Like a friend damn it.

_I sit on my bed in my room. The doors are closed and locked, the windows are closed and the blinds are drawn, even the vents are closed. I don't want people to see me like this, but I have to let it out. I'm a fourteen year old guy for crying out loud! I can't be seen crying, weeping, and acting like a girly baby. That would just give my father more reasons in which whether or not he should kill me. _  
_I sit on my bed with my arms around my knees as tears well up in my eyes. It's been three years since I've last seen my mom, since she was banished. Give me a break all right? Everyone has these kinds of times in their lives right? Then I heard a soft knock on my bedroom door. _  
_"Go away," I said trying to keep a firm, steady voice, hoping it didn't break, that a sob didn't escape. Neither happened, good. _  
_"Zuko it's only I-Katara- will you please let me in?" came the ten year old girl's voice from behind the door. _  
_I sighed and stood up. I walked over to the door, wiping tears from my eyes. I opened the door and there stood Katara, a soft smile on her face. I smiled back. I liked seeing her smile, it wasn't pitiful, full of pity or anything like that, but it did always make me feel better, no matter what. I walked back to my bed and sat on the edge so my feet rested on the floor. Katara climbed up next to me, her legs dangled off the edge of the bed. _  
_"What's wrong Zuko?" she asked._  
_I shook my head. "Nothing really."_  
_"Zuko come on, you locked yourself I your room, you were crying weren't you?" she asked softly._  
_I sighed. "I was just sad, angry, about my mom, about how my father could just go and banish her like that…" I trailed; I felt my hands growing warm. _  
_Katara bit her lip but said nothing._  
_I went on expressing to Katara how I felt about all this. As I went on I felt the flames in my hands grow bigger. I cupped my hands together._  
_Katara bended the water out of the pitcher on my nightstand and placed it gently against my flaming hands, the fire sizzled and went out. Katara slowly put the water back in the pitcher and held my warm hands in her cool ones. _  
_"No more fire Zuko," she said softly._  
_Then she hugged me, and I hugged her back. _

I smiled as I reflected back on that sweet memory. Katara really could cheer me up, it was easy for her.

_"No more fire Zuko," _

She had said that. That became one of our favorite sayings, she says that a lot now, not all the time, but when it is needed. Now, if I remember correctly, Azula hated that saying. Actually, I don't know if it was that saying precisely, or more just Katara being here, Katara being able to speak of her own free will. Azula's always hated her guts. Ever since the first day they met…

_I sat by the small ponds outside the palace walls. Katara sat in the grass beside me. We watched the turtle ducks swim. Katara was eight, I was eleven. I had only known Katara for a few days but I had grown to like her, it was a strong feeling. We weren't best friends yet but…how would you describe it? Acquaintances? Accomplices? Alliances? Yeah, something like that. _  
_Azula played with her friends on the opposite side of the ponds. Ty lee stood upside down on her hands. She noticed something and pointed towards us, saying something happily that I couldn't hear. Ty lee seemed to like Katara at first but when Azula expressed dislike towards her so did Ty lee. Mai didn't need Azula's influence, she didn't like Katara from the start either. I don't know why, it's not like Mai's an evil demon like Azula. I still don't know why she doesn't like Katara._  
_They walked over to us. "Why are you hanging out with the filthy water bender?" Azula asked me, her nose scrunched up. _  
_I shrugged, but before I could speak Katara spoke up._  
_"Lady Ursa did say I wouldn't like you much, even though I wanted to meet you. She said I'll like Zuko more cause he's more like her and you're more like your father, and everyone except your nation knows he's evil," little Katara pointed out. _  
_Ty lee giggled and Azula shot her a glare. Ty lee shut up. _  
_Azula pursed her lips together in annoyance. "Mother always did like her outcasts, so she went to go join them herself, you're both traitors," Azula said to Katara, grinning. _  
_That struck hard. I jumped up and punched towards Azula. A blast of fire shot towards Azula. I didn't use fire much so it did surprise her but she still managed to roll out of the way. _  
_"You want to fight brother?" she asked me. _  
_I nodded, feeling the anguish build up inside of me. Azula couldn't bend lightning much at all yet, but her fire was blue. She was a very well trained fire bender. Perhaps even better than I was when I was only eleven, no, not perhaps, totally better. Mai, and Ty lee backed up as Azula and I advanced towards each other.  
Katara ran up to me and grabbed my arm. "Zuko, please! No fire, she's not worth it, no fire…"  
I gently pushed her away, my fierce gaze on Azula.  
Katara backed up. "No fire Zuko…"_  
_I aimed a kick at Azula and fire shot towards her. She easily dodged out of the fires path. The battle didn't last long. I soon recovered my senses and didn't want to fight my little sister anymore. Azula didn't want to stop though. She aimed a blow at my unguarded face and I fell…_

_._

Katara must have done water bending or something or I may have ended up worse than I am now. The water bending she did may have ceased the pain because I don't remember the pain being that bad, but it did hurt, a lot. That was how I ended up with this scar. The remembrance of the burn Azula gave me. The scar my little sister gave me. She got in trouble, but the punishment wasn't too bad, she's always been Dad's favorite. The scar is around my left eye. The left corner of my eye was slightly damaged, my vision wasn't affected by it though, and Katara may have had a part in that. My scar is two different colors, a pinkish color closer to my eye and red around that.  
You know what? I got in trouble as well, for starting the fight with my sister, even though she didn't get hurt at all. I liked to believe this was all my sisters doing but Katara thinks my father had something to do with it as well. I wouldn't know.

I was seventeen, Katara was fourteen. Father had called me to his room to speak with me. I don't know why. I walked down the hall until I approached the room. Katara walked by my side.  
"What do you think this is about?" she asked me.  
I shrugged. "I don't know."  
I opened the door and we slipped in. I walked down the room until I reached the end of the room where my father sat on his chair surrounded by his tall walls of fire. Katara went to stand against the wall on the side of the room, hidden slightly by a pillar.  
"Zuko, I have a task for you," he said.  
"Yes?" I asked.  
"You know the Fire Nation killed the entire race of Air Nomads correct?" he asked.  
"Correct," I nodded.  
"You know that the Avatar was an Air Nomad and if he is alive he could be a strong threat to my reign?"  
I nodded my understanding, though he couldn't possibly be alive.  
"I would like you to find the Avatar, bring him to me so he cannot be any possible threat. He would be an old man Zuko, but he would be highly trained in Air bending and possibly the other elements, I would like you to do this _oh so important_ task for me," he explained.  
"I will Father," I said. I really would. People say the Avatar is dead but it would be a way to prove myself to my father, to prove I'm not worthless, so my father would have a reason not to kill me. And also, I needed to regain my honor, I mean; my _little_ sister beat me in a fight!  
He nodded. "Good. I will supply your ship and troops, you may bring two other persons as you wish."  
I nodded.  
"Now, go and find who you will bring!" he instructed.  
"Oh, but Father, I already know," I said.

.

Ozai looked down at the boy who was his son. "Oh? Who do you have in mind?" he asked.

"Well first it would be Uncle," Zuko began.

Ozai nodded, a small smile coming to his lip as he glanced at the water bender that hid behind a pillar at the side of the room. With his brother and Zuko out of the way he could do with her as he wished. He would train her in fighting and make her the ultimate weapon as he and his top general decided years ago. A water bender against water benders and earth benders. They wouldn't know how to act. Ozai marveled at the idea.  
"And the second would be Katara," Zuko continued.  
Ozai's face fell. Oh. That would just ruin everything. But it's not like he could say no, Zuko was, as much as he hated to admit it, a smart kid. He would suspect something. Better to keep the prince in the dark.

**Katara**

I nodded as Zuko looked towards me. Iroh was a smart choice, a good person to pick. Zuko was wise. I guess I would be spending a lot of time with that sweet old lady cook Ozana now. Ozai was looking at me strangely so I tilted my head sideways and made a silly face, he looked away. What Zuko said next startled me and made me jump. He said my name; he wanted me to go with him, but why? It's not like I was a very talented bender or anything. Ozai shot me an angry glare and I shot him back a confused look. He rolled his eyes and looked back at Zuko.  
"I'll get ready your troops, your ship leaves tonight," he said.

**Zuko**

I sat on my mat of a bed in my captain's quarters, which happened to be my room as well. I smiled as that rush of memories flooded me. I was happy, happier than I've ever been in a while. Uncle was probably in his room drinking tea, maybe he even found someone to play Pai Sho with. I laughed quietly to myself. Then I heard a soft knock on my door.  
"Zuko, it's I-Katara- please let me in," came a girl's voice from behind the door.  
"The door's not locked Katara," I laughed.  
There was a pause and then the door opened and Katara walked in carrying a tray of food that I took as dinner. I drew in a breath. I never took in how pretty Katara was before. No, not pretty, beautiful actually. She had the same kind of fire nation dress on that she always wore, but it was bigger of course, mended to adhere to her growing self. Her dark brown hair was up in a long, thick braid. The style her hair was up in wasn't familiar to me, but then, it vaguely was. I guessed it was a mix of Water Tribe and Fire Nation styles. Her pretty, light blue eyes shone in the fire light that lit the room.  
"I passed the kitchens on the way to my room and the cook saw me, he told me to deliver your dinner to your room," she said placing the tray on my lap. "He also muttered something about how unwise it was of you to have a female on board, it's supposedly bad luck," she laughed. Katara fell quiet when I didn't laugh. I didn't like it when people spoke against Katara like that.  
When she realized how quiet I was she spoke again. "No fire Zuko?" she asked in a whisper.  
I nodded. "No fire."  
She nodded and turned to leave. I watched her body move as she walked.  
"You can go get you dinner and then come back here to eat," I said when she was in the doorway.  
She turned her head back to me, her braid falling over her shoulder. "Oh, but Zuko, I already ate," She gave a mischievous; I guess you can call it flirty if you want, smile before closing the door and walking off. I listened to her footsteps fade away and sighed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Writerswand  
Boiling Water  
**_**The Boy in the Ice Berg**_  
_**The Avatar Returns**_  
**Chapter 5**

**Sokka**

Sokka stood in his fishing boat, letting the cold waters of the South Pole sway his boat back and forth as it moved with the gentle current. He stood upright in his boat holding his southern water tribe styled spear in an upright position, poised to strike. He's been eyeing a fish swimming around his boat for a while now. He could do it this time, he could catch that fish. He didn't need to do any of those fancy stupid magic tricks with water; he could function on his own thank you very much. His whole tribe has for seven years, since of today.

Sokka shook his head; he needn't be reminded of that. He lifted up his spear, preparing to take a stab at fish, and hadn't noticed his boat had drifted too close to an ice berg and the butt end of his spear hit the ice wall and sent small ice chunks down the back of Sokka's parka. He dropped his spear and it clattered on the wood. He yelped and scrambled around cold, causing his boat to rock and water to splash him and the inside of the boat. When he was rid of the ice he settled down with a frown on his face.

He sighed, not noticing at first that his boat had entered rapids and began racing out of control through glacier infested waters. Sokka shrieked and grabbed the oars, trying to steer the boat away from the threatening glaciers.A huge wave formed behind him, his blue eyes widened as it rose and pushed his boat into an ice berg, causing a crack to form. Sokka stood up out of the remainders of his boat and looked around. He soon realized he was stranded and sighed.

He gathered up his things, not noticing the crack getting bigger and the whole ice berg broke away, leaving him on a small ice berg. A large round ice berg began to rise and Sokka fell to the ice, clinging to the side. When the ice berg was surfaced he stood up and looked at it awestruck. Inside it was the frozen figure of some huge beast and a…boy? A boy was frozen inside the ice berg!

Sokka jumped over small, unsteady ice bergs to get to the round one. He pulled out his water tribe war clubs and began beating at the ice. On the fifth hit the ice berg crack and broke, resulting in a bright blue column of light beaming up into the light sky. The boy faded from looking blue to normal and fell forward towards Sokka.

Sokka stretched his arms out and the boy fell in his arms. Sokka wrinkled his nose and studied him. He was pale, short, thin, and bald. He wore weird orange and yellow clothes and had a blue stripe tattooed to him that ended with an arrow on his head. His eyes fluttered open, they were a light grey.

"I-I'm Aang," the weird boy stuttered.  
"Well Aang, I'm Sokka," he sighed.  
Aang's strange eyes lit up. "Want to go penguin sledding with me?" he asked excitedly.  
Sokka dropped him to the ice. "Uh, no," he said simply.  
Aang bounced right back up. "Aw…"  
"You were frozen in an ice berg."  
"And?"  
"And you want to go penguin sledding?"  
Aang shrugged. "It's fun,"  
"Why aren't you dead!" Sokka demanded. This was all out of reason.  
"No idea," Aang said simply.  
"Okay Then, I don't know about you but I need to get home," Sokka said looking for his boat but realizing that it had been destroyed. He sighed. "Great. Just Great."  
Aang's eyes lit up. "I can take you home!"  
Sokka raised his eyebrow. "And how will that be?"  
"On my-ah-"Aang put a finger to his nose. "On my flying-ACHOO!" Aang sneezed and flew ten feet in the air, he drifted back down.

Sokka was confused. "Flying achoo?" then he remembered. His eyes widened and he gasped. "You're an air bender!"  
Aang shrugged. "Yeah, so?"  
"We thought they were all extinct, the Fire Nation killed them all."  
Aang shook his head. "Air benders are smart, they are hiding around somewhere; they _have_ to be."  
Sokka shrugged. "Whatever you say."  
Aang scratched his head. "I'll take you home on my flying bison," he said scrambling up the shattered ice berg and sliding down the other side.  
"Flying what now?" Sokka asked following him. Sokka's jaw fell open when he saw the huge white beast.  
Aang pet its thick, white fur. "There there Appa, this is only Sokka, a friend, Appa-Sokka, Sokka-Appa," Aang said introducing them.  
Sokka carefully walked up to Appa. "There is NO WAY I'm riding that thing!" Just then Appa stuck out his huge pink tongue and rolled it across Sokka. Sokka yelped and jumped back, trying to get off the disgusting green slime.  
"He likes you," Aang laughed.  
"He tried to eat me!" Sokka cried.  
Aang shrugged. "Want to get home or freeze to death in the middle of nowhere?"  
Sokka opened his mouth about to say he'll rather that than eaten by a huge monster but he decided against it. He sighed and climbed into Appa's saddle.  
Where Aang ever got this beast he'll never know.

**Katara**

Zuko stood on the highest deck watching forward. I stood a little behind him, bored. There was nothing out here but ice and water. Granted, I was a water bender, so I loved it, but I doubted that the Avatar was up here.  
Iroh walked up. "Zuko, I'm heading to bed," he yawned.  
"I'm looking for the Avatar."  
Iroh sighed. "He may not even be here still, your father, grand-father, and even your great-grandfather all tried to find him and failed, I'm not trying to discourage you but get some sleep."  
Zuko shook his head, as stubborn as ever.  
Iroh shrugged and walked in to below deck.  
I walked a few paces forward to stand next to Zuko, placing a hand on his arm. "No fire?"  
"No," he sighed.  
I smiled. "Good."

Iroh was teaching Zuko fire bending. I stood a little ways off, not wanting to get burned accidently. Iroh was having some trouble teaching him. Even I admit, Zuko was being very…edgy? Is that the word? He seemed too forceful or whatever. Zuko was getting really annoyed and frustrated. He was trying to explain to his Uncle how the Avatar was more than 100 years old and had a century to master all the elements, so he needed to know better fire bending.  
"But you haven't yet mastered the basics," Iroh argued.  
"You will teach me more advanced moves!" Zuko cried, fire shooting out of his closed fists.  
"No fire Zuko," I mumbled.  
Iroh sighed. "Fine…as soon as I finish my roast duck," he said picking up a bowl from next to him. Zuko looked disgusted as he devoured the food, and I shared this opinion. I couldn't eat right now, the thought made me sick. After a few months of searching for the Avatar Zuko has grown rather…tense, hot-blooded, broody. I didn't like it.

Zuko stood on the upper deck as a bright blue light shot out from a point in the distance. Uncle Iroh was sitting cross-legged on a cushion playing a game with the four elements on cards that was unfamiliar to me. A pot of jasmine tea boiled on a small fire burner, his cup sat on the table next to him.  
I sat on my knees next to Iroh trying to figure out his game. I was thirsty so he let me have a small cup of his tea. It actually tasted pretty good. I can't believe I used to hate it. Maybe it's the way Iroh made it? I hear he is a good tea maker.  
"Finally, at last," Zuko whispered. He turned to us. "Uncle! Do you know what this means!"  
"I won't get to finish my game?" he asked.  
I chuckled softly to myself. "You'll stop acting like a grumpy brat all the time?"  
Zuko ignored both of us. "My search has come to an end, the Avatar is near."  
"Zuko, we've been down this road before," he said taking a sip of his tea.  
"Water, we've been down this water before, and it's annoyingly cold," I commented.  
"Go put on your parka then," Zuko told me, before turning to his soldiers to bark commands. "That had to have come from an entirely powerful source! Men! Direct a course to the light!"  
Iroh set down his last piece of his game, looking proud as the ship began to turn, causing the table to shake. My tea cup fell on my lap, causing the hot tea to spill on my dress. I cried out and jumped up. It wasn't burning, but it was hot.  
Tears came to Iroh's eyes when he saw the spilt tea. "I know you're not supposed to cry over spilt tea but…it's just so sad."  
"Don't worry, I got this," I assured him, before righting the cup back on the table and bending the tea off my dress and back into the cup.  
Iroh grinned. "Oh the fortunes of having a water bender aboard ship. Do you agree, Zuko?"  
Zuko looked straight ahead. "Sure, Uncle."  
I frowned.

**Sokka**

Sokka walked into the shelter where Aang slept for the night.  
"Aang wake up, I don't know what it's like in the air temples but we don't sleep in here."  
Aang jumped up. "Sorry," he mumbled pulling on his pants and shirt. Sokka noticed the blue arrows encased almost his whole body. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing.  
"You can go get something to eat, I have to go do something," Sokka said before leaving.

When Sokka finally found the little boys of the tribe they were with the other children as they played in the snow, Aang even let them slide down Appa's tail.  
"What are you doing!" Sokka demanded.  
Everyone looked up at him wide eyed. "Having fun," Aang answered for everyone.  
"We're in the middle of a war here; you can't fight fire benders with FUN!  
"You should try it sometime-wait, war? Since when?"  
"How long have you been in that ice berg, did you lose some brain cells? You're clueless kid,"  
Aang was about to say something when Sokka interrupted him. "Aang just go do something," he said. "Please."  
When Aang left Sokka turned to the would-be soldiers, right now they were ignorant kids, like Aang shouldn't be but he is. "Okay, one day our fathers will return home old but that's still a whiles away so we have plenty of time for that, but we still need to learn how to protect our-" Sokka was cut off by a raised hand. "What?" he snapped.  
"I need to go pee," the little boy said.  
"No."  
"But I really have to go!"  
"Fine, who else has to go?"  
All hands were raised.  
"Fine, go." Sokka waved them off.  
The boys ran to the bathroom when Aang was just coming out. "Brr, everything freezes in there," he grinned pulling up his pants.  
The boys laughed and Sokka's eyes narrowed. "Aang, I said go."

**Aang**

Aang has only been walking only for a little while. He just got off his penguin that he managed to lure in and go sledding on, but it dived into the sea so now he walked. He approached a steel ship, a Fire Nation ship encased in ice.

The work of a Water bender.

Aang grinned and flew up to the entrance. He walked in, looking around amazed. As he walked the hallways he would look into the different rooms. He flinched when he looked in a room filled with intimidating weapons.  
After a while he began to grow weary and started to look for an exit. He ran forward, tripping over an invisible string which caused a gate to shut behind him.  
"Oops," Aang mouthed as he stumbled forward and a signal was shot up into the sky. He quickly scanned the room for an exit; he whipped out his staff and flicked it with his wrist, its orange wings popped out. He mounted and took off.

**Katara**

Zuko was looking through a telescope at something far in the distance. Iroh and I stood by his side trying to see as well. A person in yellow and orange jumped down from a ship, the ship that had sent out another signal.  
"He is quite agile for his old age," Zuko noted.  
"He doesn't look that old to me, quite young actually," I said.  
"That doesn't make any sense 'Tara."  
"Hey, I'm just pointing it out."  
Zuko turned the telescope to the right and we saw a small camp. "And I found his hiding place," he said. "Men! Direct the ship to the Sothern Water Tribe!" Zuko ordered.  
I let out a small gasp and spun around to face Zuko completely. "Zuko…wasn't that where I was from?"  
After a moment of silence Zuko gave a grim nod, before speaking softly, kindly. "But not anymore. Now, your home is here."  
"In the Fire Nation?"  
"No, here, with me. Err, and Uncle."  
I smiled. My Zuko was still in there.

**Aang**

Aang landed in the snow at the front of the village where a crowd was gathered, Sokka in the front. "What have you done?" he asked.  
Aang gulped. "I just went exploring in a fire nation trip and I accidently boobed right into a booby trap-" Sokka cut him off.  
"That's forbidden!"  
"I'm sorry! How was I supposed to know!?"  
It released a signal and there's already a ship on the horizon, it will be here any time now!" Sokka cried.  
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"  
Sokka acted like he didn't hear him. "I've always known you were a traitor, a spy, from the first blue light that emerged when I broke that ice berg, I should have never done that. This is partly my fault. But either way, Aang, I think you should go."  
Aang bit his lip and turned to leave.  
"Aang!" a little girl called running over to him. "Aang I don't want you to go," she said, her blue eyes watery.  
Aang smiled sadly at the girl. "I'm sorry," he said before running forward and jumping on his staff.

**Sokka**

Everyone scurried around franticly, people were scattered everywhere, as Sokka barked orders. A little boy stopped in front of him  
"But-" he began.  
"AND NO POTTY BREAKS!" he roared.

Sokka had finished rebuilding the watch tower out of snow that Aang had flew into. Annoying kid. He now was putting on armor and applying war paint, white over here, black here, and the rest grey. When he was finished he ran to the front of the village, war clubs on his sides, and boomerang on his back, and spear in his hand.  
He Was Ready.

**Katara**

I stood at the top of the ship at the very front so I could see everything. This was MY village. Zuko and his men were on the lower decks, Iroh was sleeping. I wanted to go with Zuko but he wouldn't allow it. I wanted to fight him on that but I learned never to argue with an angry, frustrated or determined fire bender. Especially when that fire bender was Zuko.

I heard a faint 'aw man' as our ship penetrated farther into the ice. I think I saw a crudely made watch tower crumble. Then I saw him.  
An older boy-a little younger than Zuko- standing in the snow looking ready for a fight, right in the ship's path.  
"Move! Get out of the way!" I screamed at him, at the top of my lungs.  
He stood his ground. The ship pushed snow ahead of it as it moved so the boy was pushed back along with the snow. I let out a sigh of relief; he wasn't hurt.  
The door opened and Zuko-in full armor- walked down the platform, flanked by soldiers. The boy was on his knees. He sprang up and ran at Zuko. Zuko blocked all his attacks and grabbed his spear. He jabbed him a few times in the head before breaking the spear and tossing the pieces aside. The boy sat rubbing his head as Zuko walked towards the villagers. That was mean. I'll scold Zuko for that later.  
"I'm here for the Avatar, I know he was here, tell me where your hiding him!" Zuko demanded to know. He was being too forceful. All the people here were mainly woman, elderly, and children.  
When no one answered him he pulled an old lady from the crowd. Zuko had roughly pulled her from the crowd and she was shaken up. Zuko held her by the hood of her parka. …Gran-Gran? Gran-Gran! I turned and started to run off the ship when a solider whom stayed on board with me grabbed my shoulder. "No."  
"Let me go! That's my grandmother!" I struggled to get free.  
"No."  
Knowing it was futile, I turned my attention back to Zuko.  
"He would be about this age, master of all elements!" Zuko continued, getting more frustrated by the second. When they just stared at him blankly he shoved Gran-Gran back into the crowd where she was caught. She seemed to be the eldest, the leader. Damn it Zuko.  
"Don't treat Gran-Gran like that! Don't you know you're supposed to treat you elders with respect!" shouted the boy from before, he now held a boomerang in his hand. Gran-Gran? Zuko turned to face him, a scowl on his face. The boy threw his boomerang at Zuko. Zuko narrowly dodged it and it continued up towards the sky. I gasped. My brother! He's so grown…  
"Sokka!" I screamed.  
No one heard me, I think, because Sokka's boomerang twinkled in the sky and came flying back down at Zuko. It knocked his helmet off and Zuko landed face first in the snow, the helmet landed on his butt that stuck up.  
"Hello? Major Butthead? I think your mission just failed," Sokka joked.  
I giggled, amused.  
Zuko straightened himself. He looked mad, no, wrong word, he was _enraged_.  
Then I noticed Gran-Gran looking at me. Had she heard me yell? Her blue eyes were teary and I felt like I wanted to cry. I had to go down there, I had to join my family again, I had to! But I couldn't. Damn it.  
"I'm the Avatar, fight me, not them," said a voice from below. I looked down and saw Zuko and a bald kid circling each other.  
"I trained for years for this, and you're just a child," Zuko spat.  
"You're just a teenager," the bald kid said.  
I laughed softly. I liked this kid already. He was spunky.  
The kid flew up and over Zuko, kicking him as he went over him. I gasped. Air bender. Wait, duh, he's the Avatar. Zuko unleashed fire and it spread out towards the villagers. They cried out and stumbled back. Zuko! The bald kid's eyes widened and he stopped.  
"If I go with you will you leave these people alone?" he asked. Yes, please! Leave my family alone!  
Zuko nodded. It was truthful. Zuko was a man of his word. Two soldiers grabbed Aang.  
"Aang! Wait! No!" Sokka began.  
The bald kid-who I took as Aang- smiled sadly. "Take care of your family Sokka," He grunted as the two soldiers pushed him forward. 'Take care of your family Sokka' He can't, I'm not there.

As the ship sailed away I ran down to the lower hallways. My feet echoed on the metal as I ran. I stopped at a corner and peeked around it. A solider and Aang walked down the hallway towards me. Aang was talking.  
"You've never seen an air bender huh?" he asked.  
The soldier didn't answer. Aang's hands were tied so he drew in air and blew it out of his mouth at the soldier and he rammed into the wall next to me, knocked unconscious. Aang ran past me without even seeing me. I followed after him. In the next hallway we came upon two fire benders. Aang jumped over them, snapping his bindings on their sharp helmets.  
"Thanks!" he called, racing away on an air ball.  
"Excuse me, pardon me," I said as I pushed by them.  
I ran to where I saw Aang run and saw him peeking into a room.  
"Sorry," he said before closing the door and running off.  
I walked over, opened the door and peeked in. Iroh lay snoring softly on a bed. "Oh," I said closing the door softly and turning away. I looked around. Where was Aang?

I walked around for a while through the lower decks, rooms, and hallways but I couldn't find Aang so I decided to just go up to the upper deck. When I arrived there I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

**Sokka**

Sokka paced around by the stream where his canoe laid waiting, while he wondered what to do. Gran-Gran walked up to him.  
"Going after Aang?" she asked.  
"I don't know."  
"You should," she said handing him a sleeping sack. Sokka grinned.  
Gran-Gran stared at the canoe for a few moments before speaking. "You aren't going to catch up to a warship with a canoe."  
Sokka frowned just as Appa walked up.  
"Aang's?" Gran-Gran asked.  
Sokka nodded grimly.  
"Take him. He won't mind."  
"You people just love taking me out of my comfort zone don't you?"

Sokka lounged in the back of Appa's saddle in a lazy way as he walked. Sokka wondered how he flew, if he flew at all. With a bored tone he spoke: "Yip Yap? Yap Yap? Yak Yak? …Yip Yip?"  
Appa grunted and took off, flying high in the sky. Sokka leaned over the side of the saddle. "We're flying! We're actually flying!" he shouted.

They eventually came to the ship. Sokka gasped at what he saw. Aang was falling towards the sea.  
"Oh no," Sokka mumbled.  
He fell into the water and sank. Sokka saddened. Great, our last hope, gone. Then, all of a sudden, a column of fast spinning water shot out from the sea, revenging the ship.

**Katara**

I watched Aang fall as his eyes closed and his tattoo's stopped glowing. I ran forward and caught him in my arms. He blinked, when he saw me he was in a daze.  
"You all right?" I asked.  
He nodded. A huge beast landed on the ship, sending soldiers running away. Sokka jumped up and began fighting them. I caught glimpse of some running at us. I set Aang on the deck and looked around. They were standing in the water. I lifted my arms, my eyes squeezed shut. When I opened them the soldiers stood frozen, I lowered my arms.  
"Hey!" Sokka cried.  
I looked over and saw him banging in the ice that froze his feet with his boomerang, completely distracted. I backed up to the hallway that led below deck. Iroh stood there as well. He nodded to me but said nothing. I nodded back. I wanted to run over there and hug my brother but…I couldn't. I…I don't know why. It felt strange.  
Sokka ran to Aang. "You all right?"  
"My staff…" Aang trailed.  
"Got it!" Sokka said running over to the side of the ship to get it. Zuko emerged from, the side of the ship and grabbed the other end. Sokka poked him in the head hard a few times with it and he fell, but I heard him grab the anchor or something. Sokka helped Aang onto the flying beast and they took off.

I just noticed Iroh had left me to go help Zuko up. Sokka and Aang were flying away on the beast. Iroh and Zuko positioned themselves and shot a huge fireball together at them. Aang jumped up and used air bending to make the fire hit a glacier wall before flying away. Snow and ice fell from the top of it onto the ship, trapping us here.

"Men! Dig us out!" Zuko ordered. He looked over and saw them slowly unfreezing my frozen men with their fire.  
I grinned smugly, feeling proud of myself.  
Zuko frowned, looking at me. "Katara, why are those men frozen?"  
"Err, the Avatar must've done it. You know, master of all elements," I gave him a convincing smile, and he nodded solemnly. I felt horrible lying to my best friend.  
"Anyway, men, as soon as you're done with that, get to it," Zuko politely requested his soldiers.  
"I can do it!" I ran over to the snow and lifted my arms up.  
"Are you sure?" Zuko asked, skeptical. "That's a lot of snow and ice."  
I turned my head over my shoulder and smiled at him. "I've been practicing."

**Sokka**

Aang jumped back onto Appa and Sokka gave him a high-five, laughing. "Good move there!"  
Aang nodded, a little distracted. No, very.  
"Something wrong Aang?"  
"There was a girl on that ship…she caught me when I fell."  
"A girl? Really?" Sokka asked skeptically.  
Aang nodded. "She was really pretty…I think I'm in love."  
Sokka shook his head. "You just saw her Aang."  
Aang frowned. "I think I know when I'm in love!"  
"There's no such thing as love at first sight."  
"How do you know that?"  
It was Sokka's turn to frown. He didn't. Sokka shrugged.  
"And the weird thing was…that she was a water bender."  
"A water bender!? On a Fire Nation ship?"  
"Yeah."  
Sokka frowned, his brow creased as he struggled to remember a distant, repressed memory…


	6. Chapter 6

**Writerswand  
Boiling Water  
****_The Southern Air Temple_****  
****_The Warriors of Kyoshi_****  
Chapter 6**

***Sokka***

"Just wait until you see the Southern Air Temple Sokka, I know a lot of things can change in 100 years but I have to see for myself-Sokka?" Aang looked up confused as he jumped off of Appa. "Sokka! It's time to wake up!"  
"Temple later, sleep now," Sokka mumbled rolling over in his sleeping sack.  
Aang grabbed a stick from the ground and ran it against Sokka. "There's a prickle snake in your sleeping sack!"  
Sokka screamed and jumped up, Aang fell to the ground in a fit of laughter. Sokka mumbled to himself as he hopped away still in his sleeping sack

***Katara***

Uncle Iroh, Zuko, and I walked off of Zuko's ship.  
"Uncle, I want the repairs made as quickly as possible, I don't want to be here too long," Zuko said. "We've got a lot of…stuff to do."  
Uncle opened his mouth to speak but Zuko interrupted him. "Don't say his name! If anyone finds out he's here everyone will be after him! I don't want anyone in the way."  
Get rid of any competition, I thought, smirking to myself a little.  
"Get in the way of what?" a monkey faced man said walking up.  
"None of your business!" I snapped. Never trust a money faced man. He also looked mean.  
"Zhou," Uncle nodded. "We're getting our ship repaired."  
Zhou raised an eyebrow at the ship's destruction. "And how did this happen?"  
"…You tell him Uncle…" Zuko trailed softly.  
Uncle nodded. "Uh…" he turned to Zuko."Did we crash or something?"  
"Iroh was napping at the time. He's a heavy sleeper," I informed Zhou.  
"Yeah, we crashed into an Earth Kingdom ship," Zuko said.  
"A big Earth Kingdom ship. Like, a general's. Our ship was still larger though, so there were no Earth benders to take prisoner, unfortunately," I supplied.  
Zhou nodded, still suspicious. Apparently a girl's word wasn't good enough for him. "Let's go into my quarters and talk over tea." Ooh, I like tea.  
Zuko's eyes narrowed. "We have to leave soon," he said grinding his teeth.  
"No nephew, never refuse an offering of tea," Uncle said patting his shoulder.  
We began to walk towards the Monkey faced Commander's tent. Iroh walked behind him. "Hopefully you have Zhen Shen Tea?" he asked.  
"Of course." Zhou smiled.  
"Ooh, that's my favorite." I licked my lips in anticipation.  
Zhou chuckled. "The young lady's got good taste, it seems."  
Iroh grinned, smug. "I've taught her well."  
Zuko leaned over to me, speaking softly. "You could stay here you know. I don't want you coming. Zhou isn't…the greatest of men."  
I shook my head. "Zuko. I can handle myself. Besides, I want to be there. You're not making me stay behind again, like at the Southern Water Tribe."  
Zuko shot me a confused look.  
"I'll talk to you about it later."

***Sokka***

They rode on Appa as Sokka's stomach growled. He searched through his bag,  
"Where's my food?" he asked Aang.  
"Uh…I thought it was fire fuel…" Aang said meekly.  
"That's why the flames smelled so good," Sokka mumbled.  
When the two reached the mountain Sokka followed behind Aang, shoulders slouched and very grumpy. He didn't care about anything except that he was hungry and he wanted meat.  
When they reached the top Aang seemed disappointed.  
"What's wrong?" Sokka asked not really caring.  
"I just thought there would be more people, air temples are always bustling, kids playing air ball, flying bison and lemurs flying about…" Aang trailed, sadly.  
"Hmm, air ball, how do you play?" Sokka asked trying to make the boy feel better.  
Aang's eyes lit up.

Sokka slammed into a wall with a groan. Mental note, never play air ball again. Sokka was rubbing his aching head when he saw something that made his eyes widen- a fire bender's helmet.  
"Aang, come here, I have something to show-" Sokka began before Aang spoke.  
"Yay! I won!" he cried jumping up into the air and falling back down on the foot of the cliff causing the snow under him to fall and bury the helmet. Aang drifted down to Sokka.  
"You say something?"  
Sokka sighed and shook his head. Karma.

They walked through the temple for a while until they came to a statue of an old man sitting cross-legged. Aang explained something and Sokka only half listened. When Sokka actually looked over at the boy he realized that he was daydreaming.  
"Aang, snap out of it," he said waving his hand in front of Aang's face.  
Aang shook his head. "I'm ready," he said entering the building.  
Sokka followed him, a little confused. Soon enough the hallway led to a grand door with big light blue swirls on it.  
"There's someone I need to meet in here," Aang said.  
Sokka's eyes widened. "Maybe they have food!" he ran up to the door and tried to push it open. It failed so he turned to Aang. "You wouldn't have a key would you?" he asked.  
Aang shook his head smiling. "Sokka, the key is air bending," the air bender sucked in a huge gasp of air and blew it out at the doors, they all pushed over in a steady melody and the door opened.  
"Good job Air head!" Sokka beamed as they ran in. When they entered their jaws dropped, but for different reasons. Aang walked to the millions of statues, trying to figure something out as it appeared. Sokka frowned, in a room this big there had to be food, but there wasn't. While Aang paced around Sokka stood where he was, arms crossed, annoyed. Then suddenly there was a crash behind them. Both boys jumped and dived for the cover of a tall statue. Their eyes widened at the upcoming shadow.  
"Fire bender," Sokka breathed. "He won't know what hit him."  
As they jumped up they came face to face with a small, big eared creature.  
"Flying lemur!" Aang cried at the same time Sokka cried: "Meat!"  
They both jumped in unison and lunged at it. Its large eyes widened and it ran away. They charged after it, when it spread its wings to go faster Aang bended an air scooter and rode on it.  
"Cheater!" Sokka cried.  
Aang laughed. They emerged outside and the lemur dived over the cliff, Aang followed it doing the same. Sokka stopped at the edge, balancing himself by waving his arms for a moment.  
"Not fair!" he cried starting to climb down. "Totally, not fair!"

When Sokka reached the bottom he was panting and sweating heavily. That was my workout for the day, he thought. He made his way over to a large white tent.  
"You find my dinner yet?" he asked walking in. He noticed Aang kneeling on the ground sulking. Sokka walked over to him.  
"You know I wasn't really going to eat it right?" he asked. Sokka looked around. "Oh no,"  
Scorched marks and fire nation remains littered the ground, and a skeleton of the single statue from before lay before Aang.  
Aang stood up and turned around, eyes and tattoos glowing a bright blue. He rose up, a tornado forming around him. Sokka stumbled backwards out of the way. What was he supposed to do? He knew he had to stop this but how? He bit his lip.  
"Aang! Stop!" He screamed. The boy didn't make any response whatsoever. Stupid Avatar. Then he remembered something.  
"AANG! WHAT WOULD GIATSO THINK!" he screamed over the wind.  
Aang seemed to freeze as the wind faded and Aang began to fall. Sokka ran over to him and caught him in his arms so he wouldn't get hurt.  
Aang's eyes fluttered. "T-thanks Sokka,"  
"Welcome," he said dropping Aang to the ground.  
Aang jumped up. "Really, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't know what would have happened,"  
There was awkward silence after that.  
Then Sokka spoke. "Aang, I know all your friends and family were murdered, but it's not all gone, we're your family, Appa and me I mean,"  
Aang nodded and grinned. Then his eyes lit up at something behind Sokka. "Momo!"  
Sokka turned around. "That's meat's name?"  
Aang nodded. "I named him, now he's part of the family."  
Sokka groaned. "Great, more pets."

***Katara***

Iroh and I sat at a small table, Zuko stood behind us as Zhou stood in front of a map as he explained some war or conquering tactic that I found confusing, stomach-turning, and ruthless. My tea cup sat on the table untouched as Iroh drank his. As Zuko and Zhou spoke Uncle Iroh got up and wandered around the tent. He bumped into something causing it to fall.  
"Sorry," he said meekly.  
"Prince Zuko, if you have any ounce of loyalty left you would tell me if you know anything about the Avatar," Zhou asked.  
Zuko paused. "I don't, like you said, he's probably dead."  
Zhou sighed as they began to talk once again. They stopped when a handful of Zhou's soldiers burst in.  
"Commander! Zuko's men told us under interrogation that he had the Avatar under captivity but he let him escape!" they informed Zhou.  
Zuko lost control and kicked the table that Uncle Iroh, he sat back down, and I sat at causing it to fall and the tea to spill.  
"More tea please," Uncle Iroh beamed trying to be optimistic.

Zhou walked back into the tent where the three of us sat in chairs, guarded.  
"My ships are nearly ready, once we set off you will be allowed to go," he informed us.  
"Why? Are you afraid we will get to him before you? Cause I will," Zuko scowled.  
Zhou laughed. "I have dozens of fleets at my command, while you're just a silly prince whose father does not even love him, all you have is a retired senile, general and a traitor."  
"Hey!" I snapped, springing up.  
Zhou ignored me. I pursed my lips together but stayed standing, fists clenching, struggling not to splash hot tea on him.  
"You're wrong. Once I bring my father back the Avatar he will look at me with approval finally. I'll overcome my past failures and obtain the throne I rightfully deserve," Zuko said, his voice quavering.  
"If your father really wanted you back he would have you back, Avatar or no Avatar," Zhou taunted him. "Face it, your father has never loved you. He sees you as a disgrace; you have that scar for proof. You lost a battle to your _little_ sister, how weak."  
Zuko sprang up. "Maybe you'll want a scar to match!" he spat in the commanders monkey shaped face.  
"Zuko, no fire!" I scolded him.  
"Are you challenging me?" Zhou asked, surprised, if a bit threatened.  
"Yes! Agni Kai! Tonight!"  
"Zuko!" I exclaimed, appalled.  
"All right," Zhou said leaving, probably to get ready.  
Uncle Iroh stood up. "Zuko, do you remember the last time you challenged a master?"  
Zuko nodded. "I remember perfectly."  
"Zuko…"  
Zuko turned to look at me before sighing, and exiting the tent.

"Remember Zuko, your basics," Iroh told Zuko.  
We stood at the side of the arena as Zuko and Zhou got ready to fight.  
"I won't let him win," Zuko said.  
"You better not. Don't let that monkey beat you," I giggled, trying to cheer him up.  
The fight began.  
"This will be over quick," Zhou mused.  
They faced off. Zuko unleashed a fury of attacks with Zhou on the defensive. Their abdominal and arm muscles glimmered with sweat already. Probably from the heat and the work out. Then Zhou began using his own moves. It was quite scary actually. All the fire…it was so dangerous and hurtful, not like water, which was pleasant and healing, most of the time. Zuko had to switch to defensive.  
"The basics Zuko! Make him lose his root!" Uncle Iroh coasted him.  
Zhou got Zuko to the ground as my eyes widened, fearing for Zuko. Then Zuko did some amazing footing and the prince got the commander on the ground.  
"Do it," Zhou spat.  
Zuko unleashed a stream of fire and I closed my eyes.

I opened them and saw a scorched mark on the ground next to Zhou's head.  
Zuko missed. Purposely.  
"Your father raised a coward," Zhou spat.  
"I swear, next time you cross me I won't hesitate," Zuko warned him turning away.  
He started walking away when Zhou jumped up and unleashed fire at Zuko while his back was turned. The nerve!  
"Zuko!" I screamed.  
Uncle ran up and directed the fire away from them.  
Zuko scowled and turned back angrily.  
I ran over to Zuko, holding his arms to keep him back. "No fire Zuko," I whispered in his ear.  
Zhou laughed. "The Prince needs his little girlfriend to hold him back."  
I ran over to Zhou and kicked him in the shin. "You're the coward! Attacking a man when his back is turned!" I screamed in his face, making sure to spit a little.  
Zhou scowled and wiped his face clean, but at least he had enough dignity not to strike a girl. I have to say, I was surprised.  
"So this is how Commander Zhou acts under defeat, Tsk. Disgraceful. My nephew acts more honorable at the tender age of seventeen," Iroh said before we left. "Thank you for the tea, it was delicious," he added.  
"Did you really mean that Uncle?" Zuko asked after we were out.  
"Yes, haven't I told you I really love Zhen Shen Tea?"

_**The Warriors of Kyoshi**_

***Katara*****  
**  
I knelt, bored, next to the table where Zuko meditated, candles were on the table, the flames steady as Zuko controlled his breathing. I like when Zuko was this way, it was nice, calm, but I have to admit, it was pretty boring.  
"You said you had something to tell me about, Katara?" Zuko asked me.  
"Huh?"  
"Before we went to Zhou's. About you village."  
"Right. That old lady you pulled out of the crowd. That was my Gran-Gran…my grandmother. The older boy you fought, also the one with the Avatar now, my brother, Sokka."  
Zuko's amber eyes opened. "That blunder head is your brother?"  
"Yes! And don't insult him like that! How you fought him—that was really mean. You didn't have to jab him multiple times in the head with his spear. Once would have done the job. And you were so forceful with my grandmother. She's _old_, Zuko."  
"I'm sorry, Katara."  
I sighed. "It's okay. I forgive you. But please…I know you really want yo capture the Avatar, but try to be nice, at least to Sokka…"  
Zuko nodded, and closed his eyes.  
I heard something and looked over at the door. It was opened slightly, Iroh's head peeked in. He opened the door just enough so her could slip through.  
"The only reason you should be interrupting me is if you have news on the Avatar," Zuko said softly.  
"I do have news but I'm not sure if you'll like it."  
Zuko sighed. "You once told me keeping a level head was a sign of a great leader, tell me, I promise I can take it."  
"OK. We have no idea where he is."  
The flames burst, spreading out as Zuko jumped up. "What?" he yelled.  
"So much for level-headed," I mumbled.  
Iroh held out a map, about to speak.  
"Let me see that!" Zuko snapped grabbing the map from his uncle.  
Waving his fan in front of his face Uncle spoke. "He's impossible to track down."  
"How am I supposed to find him Uncle? He's obviously is a master of evasive maneuvering."  
I sighed, leaning in to see the map. The Avatar's path…it seemed really confusing. "Maybe he's just having fun…going to different places…or…Maybe he's looking for something?" I suggested. Ha, a bit of feminine influence goes a long way.

***Sokka***

"You have no idea where your going do you?" Sokka asked, looking at a map.  
"Well I know it's near water," Aang said looking back from where he sat steering Appa. Momo sat on his shoulder.  
Sokka looked out at the endless ocean surrounding them. "I guess we're getting close then."  
Aang received something from Momo and turned to face Sokka better. "Look Sokka!" he cried doing some air bending move.  
"Cool," Sokka mumbled.  
"You didn't even look!"  
"Whatever," Sokka shrugged.

Aang landed Appa on some random island in the middle of nowhere.  
Sokka groaned. "We just made a pit stop yesterday; shouldn't we get some more flying in before we set up camp? At this rate we won't get to the North Pole to teach you water bending until spring."  
"But Appa's tired already, right Appa?" Aang asked nudging Appa. Appa let out a loud yawn, fake of course.  
"Yeah, very convincing, but it's better not to argue with a ten times magical monster."  
Aang's eyes lit up as he gasped. "This is why we're here! The elephant koi!" Aang said pointing to a giant fish that leapt out of the water. "And I'm going to ride it," he said stripping to his underwear. He dived into the sea and jumped three feet in the air. "Cold!" he shrieked. Sokka rolled his eyes. Aang jumped on a fish. He laughed and waved at them. Sokka stood with his arms crossed, unimpressed. Momo jumped up and down waving his arms. Seriously? The fish was doing all the work!  
Suddenly a huge shadow started following Aang's fish. Sokka's eyes widened. Something was in the water. Aang was in trouble.  
"Aang you have to get out of there!" Sokka screamed, waving his arms.  
Aang took it as praise, laughed and waved. Idiot! The fish flipped Aang off its back and into the water. This is where Aang noticed the black sea monster. Aang screamed and jumped up, running on top of water to shore. The monster splashed and Aang went sprawling into a tree.  
"I'm fine!" Aang cried, jumping up and pulling on his clothes.  
"Ok! It's time to go now!" Sokka said rubbing his hands together. Somebody grabbed them and everything went black as they were tied up and blind folded.  
"Or we could stay a while," Sokka squeaked.

"You have some explaining to do," An elderly masculine voice said.  
"And if you don't answer all of our questions we're throwing you back into the water with the Unagi," a strong, youthful, feminine voice said.  
"Show yourself cowards!" Sokka cried.  
The blindfolds were ripped off and Sokka looked around.  
"Who are you? Where are the men that ambushed us?" Sokka demanded.  
"There were no men! We ambushed you!" said the girl from before, she was about Sokka's age and pointed at them furiously. "Now tell us, who are you and what are you doing here?"  
Sokka realized they were tied to a pole. He leaned forward. "Wait a minute, there is no way a bunch of girls ambushed us," Sokka grinned looking back at Aang.  
The leader girl walked forward and grabbed Sokka's collar. "A bunch of girls huh? The Unagi's eating well tonight!" she spat.  
"It's my fault, I shouldn't have came here, I just wanted to ride the elephant koi," Aang said sullenly.  
"How do we know you're not fire nation spies!?" the old man from before demanded. "Kyoshi stayed out of the war so far, and we intend to keep it that way,"  
Aang's eyes lit up. "This island's named after Kyoshi? I know Kyoshi!"  
"Ha! How could you possibly know Kyoshi? She was born here 400 years ago; she's been dead for centuries!"  
"I know her because I'm the Avatar," Aang said looking down.  
"That's impossible, the Avatar was an air bender that disappeared 100 years ago," the girl said.  
"That's me!" Aang said brightly.  
"Throw the imposters to the Unagi!" the old man ordered.  
The girl's approached them, drawing their fans.  
"Aang do some air bending," Sokka said out of the corner of his mouth.  
Aang leapt out of the ropes, over the statue of Kyoshi and to the ground. The crowd gasped.  
"It's true, you are the Avatar," the old man breathed.  
"Yeah! Now check this out!" Aang said doing that air bending trick from before. The crowd cheered and Sokka rolled his eyes.

***Katara* **

Iroh, Zuko, and I sat around a small table for dinner. As the waiter set the fish down he said something to Zuko softly that I didn't quite catch.  
"The Avatar's on Kyoshi Island!" Zuko cried standing up. He turned to Iroh. "Uncle! Ready the Rhinos! He isn't getting away from me this time," Zuko muttered walking away.  
"You going to finish that?" Iroh asked pointing to Zuko's fish.  
"I was going to save it for later!" Zuko snapped grabbing the plate.  
Iroh crossed his arms stubbornly.  
"What about me?" I asked sweetly.  
Zuko looked at me for a moment."No," Zuko said before leaving.  
I copied Uncle Iroh's position.

***Sokka*****  
**  
Sokka, Momo, and Aang sat around a table filled with food.  
"Awesome! Desert for breakfast! These people really know how to treat an Avatar!" Aang exclaimed, digging in. He looked over at Sokka. "Sokka what's your problem? Eat!"  
"Not hungry," Sokka mumbled.  
"But you're always hungry!"  
There was awkward silence after that.  
"Because some girls kicked your butt?" Aang asked.  
"They sneaked up on me!"  
"And then they kicked your butt."  
Sokka stood up, unfolding his crossed arms. "Sneak attacks don't count!" he stomped away muttering to himself. "I'm not scared of any girls!" He ran back and gathered an armful of food. He walked away eating and mumbling to himself. "Mm, this is tasty, who do they think they are anyways," Sokka said biting into a doughnut.

Sokka walked over to a small building and poked his head in and saw the girl's practicing. He walked in.  
"Sorry ladies for interrupting your dance lesson but I was looking for a place to work out?" Sokka asked flexing his bicep and tricep muscles.  
"Well you came to the right place, I'm sorry about yesterday, we didn't know you were friends with the Avatar," the leader girl said.  
"It's okay, normally I would hold a grudge but since you're a bunch of girls I'll make an exception," Sokka said still flexing his minimal amount of muscle mass.  
"I would hope so, against a big strong man like you, we wouldn't stand a chance."  
"True, but don't feel so bad, I'm the best warrior in my village."  
"Best warrior? I don't suppose you could teach us some moves?"  
"Uh…"  
"Right girls?" the leader asked her friends. They giggled.  
"I'll be happy too," Sokka said.

After a brisk beating Sokka gave up. Those girls were stronger than he thought. He had left but decided to come back. Suki was insulted at first and didn't want to teach a boy but she gave in to his begging and apologizing. He had to wear the warrior's uniform, it was a dress but he felt proud…until Aang passed by and saw him.  
"Nice dress Sokka," he said poking his head in before leaving.  
Sokka groaned. The girls left and it was just him and Suki. Sokka was learning a new style all over again.  
Suki was kicking his butt—wait! He got her to the ground. She scowled as Sokka got cocky. Suki grinned and shoved him; it was a so called lucky shot apparently. But Sokka was approving.

***Katara*****  
**  
The ship was fast approaching Kyoshi Island. I stood on the top deck watching the water wide eyed. A sea creature was spazzing in the water, and heading straight for a boy. Without thinking I dived in and used my water bending to get to the boy faster and get him out to the water. I dragged him to a cluster of rocks. I laid him down on his back. I gasped, finally taking a look at him. The Avatar!  
Zuko's ship docked roughly against the beach and him and other soldiers were pouring out on Rhinos. I held Aang close so he wouldn't be spotted. I had no idea what I was doing but it felt right. It just did.  
"Wake up!" I said shaking him. When he didn't I bended the water out of his mouth. He coughed and sputtered before opening his eyes.  
"You! …uh…Don't ride the Unagi, not fun."

These female warriors clad in dark green attacked Zuko's men as I helped the children get to safety. Zuko didn't seem to mind—he still had a good heart. He didn't want to hurt children. As long as he didn't know that I had helped hid the Avatar. I felt my stomach clench up, feeling guilty about hiding something from my best friend.  
"Your little girls can't protect you Avatar," I heard Zuko say before Aang leapt down from a roof, and began fighting Zuko. When the Avatar had taken care of Zuko I saw him take to the skies on his glider, to survey the damage done would be my best guess. He didn't have time.  
When he landed I grabbed his hand and ran to the flying beast that a little lemur was on and Sokka was scrambling on. The beast flew up and Zuko shot orders to leave.  
Sokka didn't appear to recognize me so I said nothing when he looked at me funny.  
Aang looked at the town sadly before jumping off. Sokka and I looked over the edge and saw Aang using the Unagi to put out the fire. He flew back up and landed next to me.  
"I know that was stupid," Aang sighed. He then looked over at me. "You can stay if you want."  
I looked over at Sokka sadly. He was my brother, but I couldn't betray Zuko like that. _No Katara, he isn't your brother. _But I hardly know Sokka. _But he's family, Zuko isn't. _  
"I'm sorry," I said, looking as if it was to Aang but it was really to Sokka. I jumped in and landed softly in the water next to the ship. Water benders only get wet if they want to, I didn't want to.

***Sokka***

"Hey, Aang, was that the girl from Zuko's ship? The water bender that you had a crush on?" Sokka asked Aang.  
Aang nodded. "Yeah, why do you ask?"  
Sokka shrugged. "Just wondering." He frowned. He felt like he was forgetting something important…

***Slightly Earlier*****  
**  
Sokka and Suki knelt behind a building.  
"I'm sorry Suki, I treated you like a girl when I should have treated you like a Warrior," Sokka whispered.  
"I am a warrior, but I'm a girl too," she said kissing Sokka quickly before jumping up. "Now leave you blundering idiot before someone kicks your ass!" she exclaimed. "And that very well may be me!"

***Katara*****  
**.  
"Where did you go? You were at the town with me but then after the Avatar defeated me you disappeared!" Zuko asked when he came back on the ship. "And you didn't even bother to see if I was okay. …I would have if it were you."  
I blinked. I hadn't thought about that…wait. "What?" I smirked. "Aw, that's sweet Zuko."  
Zuko pursed his lips together. "Where were you?" He demanded of me.  
I was sitting with Uncle watching him play Pai Sho. "I came back here of course," I said looking pleadingly at Uncle.  
Uncle winked at me. "Enjoying some tea and a quiet game of Pai Sho, which I am very well winning."  
"No! You're losing by a long shot!" I cried.  
"Yeah, the little lady had quite the talent," Iroh said rolling his eyes.  
Zuko sighed wearily and walked below deck.


	7. Chapter 7

**Writerswand**  
**Boiling Water**  
_**The King of Omashu**_  
_**Imprisoned **_  
**Chapter 7**  
**The Kissing Bandit**  
**Memories**

***Sokka***

"The Earth Kingdom City: Omashu!" Aang exclaimed spreading his arms out to the great walled city that they approached. "I used to come here all the time to visit my friend Bumi."  
"They have building's here that don't melt," Sokka noted, his jaw dropping.  
"Well let's go then slow poke! The real fun is inside the city!" the boy cried leaping into the air.  
"Wait Aang! If people find out you're the Avatar it could be bad! You need a disguise," Sokka suggested.  
"What am I supposed to do? Grow a mustache?" Aang joked.  
"Actually…"

Soon enough Sokka had Aang wearing a bison fur mustache with bison hair sticking out of a straw hat.  
"Arg this is itchy," Aang said scratching under his hat. He turned to Appa. "How do you live like this buddy?"  
Appa snorted at him.  
"Great! You look exactly like my Grandfather!" Sokka cried.  
"Come on young yippersnappers the great city awaits!" Aang cried in a fake strained voice as he walked crippled using his glider as a cane.

After a while of walking they came to the great walled city.  
"You're going to love Omashu. The people here are the friendliest in the city!" Aang cried.  
Just to contradict what the Avatar had said a guard spoke.  
"Rotten Cabbages! What kind of slum do you think we are?" he bellowed, earth bending the cabbage cart into the abyss below. The cabbage vender scrambled over to the edge. "My cabbages!" he shrieked.  
"Just keep smiling," Aang grinned walking forward.  
The Earth bender jumped up in a bending stance, holding a boulder above Aang's head. "State your business."  
Aang jumped out from beneath the boulder. "My business is my business young man! I have half a mind to swing you over my knee and paddle your backside!" Aang cried pointing his staff in the guards face.  
"Calm down old timer; just tell me your name."  
"Bonzo Flippatatitus…the third! And this is my grandson!" Aang grinned gesturing towards Sokka. Sokka waved, not amused.  
"Stay out of trouble," he said letting them pass, but he grabbed Sokka's shoulder as he passed. "You seem like a strong young man. Show some respect for the elderly and carry your grandfather's bag!"  
"Good idea!" Aang cried tossing Sokka his bag. Sokka caught it, annoyed.  
The guard opened the huge door letting them in. When they entered they ran over to the wall and leaned over it, amazed.  
"There are thousands of these chutes scaling the city that make up the delivery system. Earth bending brings them up, gravity brings them down," Aang explained.  
"Great so they get their mail on time," Sokka said bored.  
"Yes, but my friend Bumi thought of another purpose…" Aang trailed getting lost in thought.

Sokka and Aang now sat in a cart, Aang in the front, Sokka in the back, and Momo in Aang's hat.  
"Just one ride and we'll go to the North Pole," Aang said.  
"Wait, shouldn't we go to the shops first? I want some food," Sokka said.  
Aang sighed. "The shops will still be there-"  
Sokka climbed out of the cart shaking his head.  
"Fine, I'll stay here," Aang said happily. "Watching the cart,"  
"Whatever you say," Sokka droned.

Sokka approached the shops with a gleam in his eye. He loved shopping. He didn't have that much money to spare but he wanted to see what was in stock. Besides, if it kept him from plummeting to his death he was all for it.  
Sokka was so busy with his own thoughts he didn't see a large group gathering around a poster until he nearly ran into a guy.  
"Watch it kid," the man growled.  
"Sorry," Sokka mumbled. He tried to peer over the men but couldn't see so he listened instead.  
"She's wanted in the Earth Kingdom _and_ Fire Nation," said the guy from before.  
"Where did you say she's from again?" a second guy asked.  
"People say she's from Ba Sing Se but I personally think she's from some small town in the middle of nowhere, a poor, starving village," another guy answered him.  
"Interesting, she seduces you before robbing you of all your gold," one man said stroking his beard.  
"No your fool, she robs you of all your valuables-gold, jewelry, whatever-and for her male victims she gives them a kiss and leaves them a note, hence being named the Kissing Bandit," A studious looking guy answered him, pushing his glasses up on his nose.  
"She hasn't been caught yet?"  
"Nope."  
"Whoa."  
"I dream of being robbed by her…"  
"Guys look! The Kissing Bandit!" Sokka cried.  
"What? Where?" The men scrambled in different directions as Sokka walked up to the poster to read it.

**WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE IN THE FIRE NATION & EARTH KINGDOM****  
********THE KISSING BANDIT**

There was a very well drawn drawing of a girl with long hair the color of the midnight sky, emerald green cat like eyes and pale moonlit skin. She had a tall, curvy frame and her dark hair fell over face so it covered her left eye. She looked like she was running away from something and looked back. Under the picture was a description:

**"Highly skilled Earth bender, watch out! 10,000 gold for capture. Last seen in Omashu. **

Sokka's eyes widened. "Whoa."  
A girl walked up and stood next to him, studying the poster. She chuckled. "Only 10,000 gold pieces? _Pfft_," she said, amused, before walking away.  
Sokka looked up, confused. Only 10,000? Oh! "Maybe if I…" he walked over to a table and put his boomerang on it. "I'm so not paying attention," he said out loud, sounding like an idiot.  
The girl walked by, she had long black hair back in a ponytail, revealing a heart shaped face. She wore a long black cloak, but with the hood down of course, that would be suspicious.  
"Too easy," She laughed walking away.  
Sokka's eyes widened. He didn't know why the thief was so open, maybe she thought highly of herself, or was a good escape artist, maybe she liked the public, or at the very least she could think that no one would capture her, they wanted to be robbed!  
Sokka walked a few feet away from the table, whistling.  
The girl leaned against the wall, rolled her eyes, and looked away.  
Sokka frowned. He walked back to the table. His boomerang was valuable right? He picked up his boomerang and slammed it back down on the table.  
"Fine!" He cried frustrated, stomping away.  
"Finally!" the girl whispered before running over to the table and scooping up his boomerang.  
Sokka turned back. "Hey!" Then he remembered. "Wait!" he called after her. "What about my kiss!"  
"You want a kiss? Have a kiss!" she said signing a piece of paper and pressing her lips to it. She tossed it back to him still running.  
Sokka caught it. There was the imprint of a kiss and a signature 'the kissing bandit,' "No! I mean on the lips! Here!" Sokka cried running after her and touching his lips.  
"Hell No!" The girl called back. Then she tripped, landing into a mail cart, slamming into the back of Aang. Like dominos, Sokka tripped in and slammed into the girl.  
"Ready now? And you brought a friend!" Aang grinned.  
"No!" The girl screamed as Sokka screamed. "Give me back my boomerang!" But it only sounded like "Aaang!" because the cart had lurched forward.  
"Faster? All right!" Aang grinned as he used his air bending to make the cart go faster. The girl and Sokka screamed as they flew past the millions of chutes, rooftops, through windows, over walls, and ended crashing into a cabbage stand.  
"My cabbages!" The cabbage guy shrieked.  
"Two cabbages please," Aang smiled meekly.

The next thing the trio knew was that they were in a green and purple palace, in front of them on the throne sat an ancient king wearing an ugly crown. Behind them were two guards and the cabbage guy.  
"Hmm?" the old king asked with a raised eyebrow.  
The three knelt down.  
"Your majesty, these three are under arrest for vandalism, traveling under false pretences, and malicious destruction of cabbages," a guard explained.  
"Off with their heads! One for every head of cabbage!" the vender cried jumping up and down.  
"Silence! Only the king can pass judgments!"-he turned to the king-"What is your judgment sir?"  
"Hmm," the King said looking at each of the kids. Sokka gave a puppy dog face, the Kissing Bandit smiled innocently and Aang looked up whistling.  
"Throw them"-the kids look scared-"a feast!" he exclaimed.  
The guards looked astonished, the kids were confused.

They sat at a long table full with food, Momo was pigging out.  
"The people in my city have grown fat due to many feasts, hopefully you like your chicken without skin," the king said holding up a chicken leg.  
"Thanks, but I don't eat meat," Aang said holding up his hands.  
"How about you? I bet you like meat," the king said shoving the chicken in Sokka's mouth. Sokka chewed it a bit and quickly swallowed.  
"Someone's crown is a little crooked," the bandit girl mumbled.  
"So, young bald one, tell me, where are you from?" the king asked.  
"I'm from…Kangaroo Island!" Aang blurted out.  
"Kangaroo Island eh? I hear that place is just hopping."  
Awkward silence, then Sokka burst out laughing. "What? It was pretty funny…"  
"All these good jokes are making me tired, I think it's time to hit the hay," the king said stretching his arms and yawning. Wham! A chicken leg went flying through the air.  
Aang gasped and caught it with air bending. The soldier's gasped and the girl's eyes widened.  
"We have an air bender in our presence. And not just any air bender, the Avatar, accompanied by a thief, not just any thief though, The Kissing Bandit," The King said standing up straight.  
Aang's arms dropped to his sides.  
"What do you have to say for yourself?" the King asked.  
Aang stood up. "Yep, you caught me. The Avatar-doing Avatar things, keeping the world safe, it doesn't look like there's any fire benders here"-he peers under the table cloth-"I think we're be going now,"-he finishes putting his arms around Sokka and-?-"Hey? Where's that girl?" Aang asked.  
"I fear the kissing bandit is making her dramatic escape," The King noted.  
The Kissing Bandit froze in place, turning her head over her shoulder a little. She slowly turned around, hands in the air.  
"All right, you caught me. The Kissing Bandit has finally been caught. What do I know? I'm just a fourteen year old girl trying to make a living in this troubled world," she said making everyone feel pity for her except for the king.  
She leapt up and landed on the table in a ready position, hand on the table.  
"Flying Earth bender!" the guards gasped.  
"Yep, the One and Only Jojo-"she didn't get to finish because just then she was knocked out cold. The three were then sent to the 'newly refurbished chamber that was once bad.'

Jojo was set on a bed before the guards left closing them inside the room. Sokka and Aang paced around trying to figure out how to escape.  
"Jojo! Wake up! We need your help to escape! We can't earth bend this door!" Sokka cried. When she didn't respond they decided it was best to get some rest.

Aang woke up the next morning to a guard entering the room. He looked around and found the chamber empty.  
"Where are my friends?" he asked.  
"The king will return them to you when you complete his challenges," the guard answered.  
"And if I don't?"  
"He didn't say. Your staff please?"  
Aang tossed the guard his staff and followed him to the king.  
"First things First, How do you like my new outfit?" the King asked when Aang walked up.  
"Its fine I guess," Aang said scratching his head.  
"Good, you passed the first test, but that was a rather simple test, the challenges will be more…challenging," the King chuckled.  
The Avatar ran to the king."I'm tired of playing your crazy games! Give me my friend's back! We're leaving!"  
"I thought you'll say that, so I gave your friend's some gifts. Rings made out of pure geminate, also known as creeping crystal, by nightfall your friend's will be completely encased. Terrible fate really, I can stop it but you're going to have to cooperate," The king threatened.  
"It's already creeping!" Sokka cried.  
Aang looked over and noticed that the wall had opened up revealing Sokka and Jojo accompanied by guards.  
Jojo shook her wrist but even the talented earth bender couldn't get the rock off.  
"I'll do what you want," Aang said giving in.

Jojo was busy trying to get her bending to work to shatter, break, or crack the crystal. Come on! Could something at least happen? A small crack maybe? She was so distracted she hardly watched the challenges.  
The first was that the Avatar had to get a key from a fast flowing waterfall; the second was to bring the crazy man's pet back to him, turns out Flopsie wasn't the bunny. The last challenge was a battle. Aang had to choose between a thin man with a curved scythe and a large man holding an axe.  
Aang chose the king who stood in the middle. Yet it's never good to judge by appearance. Whipping off his outfit the king was revealed wearing but a dark green loin cloth, covered with white hair and gleaming muscles.  
The King jumped down to the earth below. "You thought I was a frail old man, well in reality I'm the most powerful earth bender you'll ever meet!"  
"Hey!" Jojo cried, offended. Better than her? Ha!  
The battle dragged on, losing Jojo's interest. When it finally ended Aang emerged the victor, though it was sort of a draw.  
"So…now that you overcame all of my challenges you have to answer a question," the King said.  
"No fair!" Aang and Sokka cried.  
"Aw, but what's the point if you don't learn anything…so…what's my name?" he asked leaving, telling Aang he had about five minutes.

"Maybe's it's related to the challenges, oh, I know, Loony!" Jojo mumbled when he left.  
"Ummm…Rocky! You know, like rocks…he is an Earth bender!" Sokka cried.  
Jojo rolled her eyes.  
"I had to think differently than I normally do…I know his name," Aang said proudly.

Aang stood before the King. "I solved your riddle much like the challenges, a long time ago I was told to open my eyes to all the possibilities."  
The King snorted a chuckle.  
"It's good to see you Bumi," Aang said hugging his friend.  
"You haven't changed a bit…literally."  
"Over here!" Sokka cried.  
The crystal burst and exploded throughout the room. Bumi caught one in his hand and bit it. "Rock Candy."  
Jojo groaned. Bumi explained he liked to mess with people and spoke to Aang about the Avatar job and how he wanted him to think like a mad genius.

While the old buds' went on their super slide Sokka and Jojo stood outside the city.  
"So, you going to travel with us? We could really use someone like you…" Sokka trailed.  
Jojo shook her head. "Nah, I'm a thief, I'm used to running around on my own."  
"Oh…" Sokka said sadly.  
"But I'm sure we're see each other again," Jojo winked.  
Sokka nodded slowly. Jojo leaned in and placed a kiss on his lips before running off.  
Sokka stood awestruck. A smile slowly came to his lips. Sure he had been robbed of all his coins but he had been kissed.  
Kissed by the Kissing Bandit.

**Imprisoned****  
**  
***Katara***

Zuko and I sat, hidden in the bushes, as we watched Aang entertain himself by doing small air bending tricks in his hands. Momo sat next to him playing with pebbles. They were waiting for Sokka. We were waiting for the perfect time to 'pounce' or according to Zuko that is.  
Sokka walked up and dropped the meager ration of nuts he had gathered before Aang.  
Momo-appearing bored-banged a rock against another. A resounding boom is heard throughout the forest. Momo jumped and banged the rocks together again, the boom is heard. The little creature-feeling proud of himself-does it again.  
"I think we should go," Sokka said looking around, after the boom was heard when Momo didn't clash the rocks together.  
Aang and Momo ignored him, running towards the sound.  
Sokka clambered after the boy and his pet. "Just great, run towards the danger!"  
Zuko and I exchanged looks before pursuing them. After a while we stopped at a dried up riverbed to see a young Earth bender practicing.  
Aang walked up, introducing himself.  
The boy -as if startled- ran off sliding rocks from the opposite slopes down to block the way he has gone.  
We follow the companions to a small village, they were following the boy.  
"I feel like a stalker," I told Zuko, poking him in the side, being silly.  
"Shh…" Zuko shushed me, but his mouth curved up in a little smile.  
Aang's eyes lit up as he eyed a vender in the street. He ran over and picked up a hat, handing the vender a few coins.  
Zuko yawned. "I'm going to head back to the ship for lunch, you coming?"  
I shook my head. "I'm going to look around the shops for anything interesting," I half-lied.  
"You do realize that we can't capture him out in the open like this?" he asked me.  
I shrugged and he walked off.  
I walked over to that vender and bought a green, earth kingdom styled dress and changed into it behind a tree. I stuffed my fire nation dress in my bag. I didn't want these people looking at me as if I was a monster.  
I spotted the young Earth bender from before entering a shop. I followed him, Aang and Sokka must have had the same idea. I rushed over to a shelf, pretending to be examining the stock.  
"Hey! You're that guy we saw in the forest!" Aang exclaimed.  
The young bender pretended to be confused and Aang nonchalantly blurted out that they saw him earth bending and it was so cool.  
A woman-the shopkeeper- rushes over and closes the windows and door, as if not to be overheard. I take it she was the boy's mother.  
"Haru! You know you're not supposed to-" She began to scold Haru-the young bender-when an authoritative knock on the door forces her to divert her attention.  
Sokka peeked out the window. "Fire Nation! Act Natural!" he whispered.  
When Haru's mother opened the door the boys and lemur pretended to be frozen background characters. I snickered softly to myself. Haru looked over at me with a raised eyebrow but said nothing.  
The fire nation soldier raises a confused eyebrow at the boys.  
"We already paid the weekly tax!" Haru's mother snapped, diverting his attention.  
"Oh but my fine lady, it has doubled," he said summoning a flame to his palm. "I wouldn't want an accident. Fire can be so hard to control, but you know that."  
Haru's eyes flashed with a defeated look as she gets a small box of coins.  
The soldier ruthlessly grabs the coins. "You can keep those," he said tauntingly as he drops the copper coins to the floor.  
I couldn't stop myself. "You can't threaten people like that, abusing your power! How selfish can you be! Taking the few coins these people have!" I cried, frustrated.  
The guard shot me a look. "You have quite the attitude young lady. Keep that mouth shut before you get in trouble," he said before closing the door and leaving.  
Haru's mother gingerly picked up the fallen coins and I noticed Haru's fists clenched.  
She explains the condition of this village to us and how they have been imprisoned for 5 years and how Ozai uses coal from the mines to fuel his ships.  
"The troops are thugs, and everyone here is too much of a coward to do anything about it," Haru interrupted.  
"Don't talk like that Haru!" his mother shushed him.  
"I'm not trying to be rude but why can't Haru help, since he's a bender?" I asked.  
Haru's mother shook her head. "Earth bending is forbidden: it had caused nothing but misery for this village. He must never use his abilities."  
"We can't help that we want to fight, bending is just part of who we are!" I pressed on.  
Haru's mother just shook her head. "They would take him away," she said. "Like his Father."

Zuko came back a while later after I left the group. We hid in the bushes as we watched the group again. Zuko was waiting for Haru to leave.  
Near sunset Haru leads the two to a barn where they would stay for the night. As time passed Zuko yawned. "You know, I'll give the Avatar a break for today and go back to the ship, you?" he asked.  
"I'm going to stay here for a while, don't worry I'll return before midnight," I reassured him.  
Zuko nodded slowly and began walking back.  
When Haru left the barn I rushed after him. "Hey stranger," I grinned, falling into pace with the older boy.  
"Hey, Katara right?" he asked.  
I nodded, noticing how handsome he was with those emerald green eyes of his. We talked for a while about parents. We had a lot in common, and he actually listened to me. Haru told me about his father and how he led an uprising against the troops despite being outnumbered 10 to 1. Alas, they lost, were taken away, and never seen again. This is why he earth bends, it reminds him of his father.  
In return I tell him about my necklace, how my mother died protecting me, though she failed. It's the only thing that reminds me of her.  
"But that's not enough is it?" Haru asked.  
I shook my head, a tear sliding down my cheek. Haru puts a comforting-almost big brother like-arm around my shoulder as we begin to return to his home, when we heard a boom come from the mines. We ran to the entrance and find an old man trapped under a pile of heavy debris.  
We tried to save him, Haru holding back the entrance and stopping the showering of dirt as I tried to pull the man from underneath. It fails, and there's only one other choice.  
"You have to Earth bend!" I cried.  
Haru hesitated and shook his head. "I can't."  
"You have to! There's no one even around! He'll die!" I pleaded with him.  
After some thought Haru got into a stance and forced all the debris back with a thrust of his arms. Together we carried the old man back to the village.

At Haru's house we stopped.  
"Well, see you tomorrow, 'Tara," Haru said.  
"Bye," I said heading back to the ship, changing back into my red dress of course.

I woke up the next day about mid morning. I left my room and peeked into Zuko's. He was still asleep. I walked out to the main deck and spotted Iroh, walking over to him where he sat, eating breakfast and looking over his Pai Sho tiles.  
"Good Mornin' Miss Katara," he greeted me.  
I smiled and greeted him back. I looked out at the land from where the ship was docked.  
"Go Katara, I'll think up something to tell my nephew," Iroh said nodding me off.  
I smiled and thanked him before running off. Before entering the village I changed into the green dress and left my bag by the ship that I would pick up later.  
I ran to Haru's house carrying a small bag of gold coins for them, I mean, did Zuko really need all that money? He could spare some. Haru was a really nice guy, and he deserved some kindness in return. No! I did not like him!  
I stopped when I saw Haru's mother staring out into the distance. She turned her weatherworn face to me, tears streaked down her cheeks. My eyes widen with realization as I drop the purse near her and run off to find Aang and Sokka. It was that stupid, ungrateful old man! And I pressured Haru into doing it! I had to save him- and to do this I would get arrested myself.

I managed to get Aang and Sokka to help me. We went to the mines. Together we rolled a boulder on top of an air vent.  
"Ok It's quite simple. Aang just has to get below the vent and bend air to lift the boulder," Sokka explained as Aang got in position. As he spoke I fought with myself not to hug him.  
The plan gets put to action when Fire Nation soldier walked towards us.  
Sokka and I ran into each other and begin fake fighting. I decide to make fun of his big ears like I used to.  
"You-You giant eared cretin!" I cried, pretending to get frustrated. I lifted my arms. Nothing happens. Aang!  
"Earth bending style!" I cried, really getting frustrated.  
The boulder lifted up, Momo stood behind it, wings outstretched.  
"That thing is bending." one soldier whispered to another.  
"Yeah, what should we do?" the other whispered.  
"Uh…she's earth bending! Attacking me!" Sokka cried, pointing at me.  
The soldiers embarrassingly agree and arrest me.  
As they take me away Sokka whispers as I pass that they won't be coming to help me if I take longer than twelve hours. They needed to get away from the Fire Nation.

I was now wearing a brown, sleeveless cloak over my green dress as I was being shipped to a large, metal promontory, or island. I stood in a single file line with other newly captured Earth benders as the Warden greeted us, saying how he saw us more like honored guests than prisoners, yeah, sure.  
While he was laying out the rules the old man next to me coughed out of sickness.  
The Warden unleashed a jet of flames at his feet. "A week in solitude should improve his manners."  
My jaw dropped but I remained silent. I watched as they unjustly took the old man away.

We arrived at the ship yard filled with Earth benders, but everything was made out of iron so they couldn't bend…I spot Haru and ran over to him. He gave me a surprised look and I explained I'm the reason he was there so I had to help him.  
Haru sighed. "You've got guts girl," He then walked me over to his father, Tyro. I was given a bowl of bean-curd soup.  
"So, Tyro, what's the escape plan?" I asked taking in a spoonful of soup.  
Tyro laughed nervously. "Nothing, just to wait out the war, go home, and forget this all happened. People's lives are at stake and we are powerless," he explained.  
I pursed my lips together as I finish the contents of my bowl.  
When it was completely empty I scramble on top a pile of boxes and bang my spoon on my bowl to get the crowd's attention. They all slowly look up at me. I give them an inspirational speech. I tell them that Earth benders are a strong people; they can accomplish anything, from noble and heroic deeds, to courageous acts. They may have lost their bending but not their pride or courage. I eyed the Warden watching me but continue.  
"Let is fight for our freedom!" I cried the arousing statement.  
No one made any sort of attempt to rise. The Warden walked away, pleased. I was shocked.

I was shaken awake by small hands. I opened my eyes and see the pale figure of Aang.  
"Come on," he whispered as he leads me where Sokka is waiting with Appa.  
"Hey, we can take you back now, you shouldn't stay here," Sokka said.  
I shook my head. "No! I have to help these people! You can help me!" I pleaded with them.  
My persistence eventually won over Sokka. Aang sends Appa to the skies, though not quick enough.  
We spot two soldiers and run to hide behind a pile of cargo.  
"Was that a flying bison?" one soldier asked.  
"I think it was a buffalo," the other soldier said.  
"It was definitely a bison,"  
"It was a buffalo!"  
The Warden walked up rubbing his temples. This irritated him and he threw one man overboard. "Go get the captain!" he barked.  
"That **was** the captain sir…" the soldier still on board trailed.  
"Then wake up somebody I haven't thrown overboard and search the rig! There's something going on and I don't like it!"

From behind the boxes we formed a plan. The smoke billowing out from the giant pillar gave Sokka an idea. It was almost dawn so Aang went off to do his job and Sokka and I moved to a vent in the shipyard.  
Sokka there explained to me how this would work. "You see, there's a huge deposit of coal at the base of this island and that's what makes the smoke. Right Now Aang is closing all the vents except this one,"-he points to the vent to the right of us-"He will use air bending so the coal has but one place to go, here." My brother was so intelligent. I really wanted to hug him and tell him everything would be all right.  
At this statement a guard shouted and we were suddenly surrounded by soldiers, prisoners watched us. Sokka and I got in fighting positions.  
"Stop! You can't win this fight!" Tyro shouted out.  
The Warden walked up to me and agreed. "You're one mistake from dying where you stand," he warned me.  
Soldiers advanced towards us but jumped back when coal shot out from the vent, showering down in a large pile.  
"Your fate is in your hands!" I cried.  
Haru started to walk up to the rocks but his father stopped him. The other benders backed up.  
The Warden laughed manically at my attempt to help these people who lost their spirit long ago.  
I finally decided to give up and collapse to my knees in defeat, my head bent down to my chest.  
The Warden turned to leave but is hit in the back of the head with a piece of coal. He spun around and faces an angry Haru spinning coal around above his hand.  
The Warden-now angered as well-shoots a blast of fire at Haru. Haru turned away to block himself but his father is the one to create a coal shield to protect them.  
The Battle begun.  
Sokka helped by cutting off the ends of the soldier's weapons, Momo kicked people with his feet. Haru and Tyro bend a large boulder and smash it into a wall, creating an exit.  
"Head to the ships while we hold them off!" Tyro shouted as Haru, a few others, and himself stay.  
I bended a stream of water from the sea and hit a group of gourds with it, soaking them. Sadly, it just seemed to get them angry. They shot fire at me but I consistently held water in front of me to douse their flames.  
Aang created a mini tornado, launching coal all around; this is the final blow at taking out the majority of the soldiers.  
At this Aang was exhausted so they decided to leave, knowing everything will be find since the remaining Earth benders are holding they left over Fire Benders over the water on a large boulder of coal.  
"Help! I can't swim!" The Warden cried.  
"Don't you worry, I hear cowards float," Tyro wisecracked as they drop them into the water.

The Imprisoned Earth benders had sailed home and Tyro, Haru, and I stood outside the village.  
"Thank you Katara, but right now I'm off to see my wife whom I have missed a lot," Tyro said sadly as he walked off.  
Haru smiled at me. "Thanks 'Tara,"  
"It just took a little bit of coal," I said modestly.  
"It wasn't the coal, it was you."  
I blushed. "Well are you going to stay here?"  
Haru nodded. "I'm going to help my father retake our village. Now tell me Katara, what is an earth nation girl doing water bending on a ship?"  
I swallowed. "Because I'm really from the Southern Water tribe…" I trailed.  
Haru nodded, there's no need for any more explanation, it didn't matter.  
"Thanks again Katara, I never thought I would see my father again, I only wish there was some way…" he trailed. He leaned in and gently kissed me on the lips.  
I leaned in, kissing him back, and my hand reflexively went up to my throat, and I realized my mother's necklace is missing. I pull away, tears in my eyes.

Sokka stood in front of the abandoned mine, a night sky behind him, and the full moon above. Aang was resting in Haru's barn, they would leave early tomorrow. Katara's Gran Gran's betrothal necklace is lying on the ground and Sokka picked it up. He didn't know this he just knew its water tribe styled and familiar. Sokka held it in his hand and stares off into the distance, struggling to remember long-forgotten memories.


	8. Chapter 8

**Writerswand  
Boiling Water  
****_The Winter Solstice Part I & II: Avatar Roku_****  
Chapter 8**  
**The Winter Solstice **

***Katara***

Somewhere in the forest I ran to keep up with the prince who strode through the trees calling his uncle's name. I called as well, looking around.  
I spotted Fire Nation clothes hanging on a branch so I pointed them out to Zuko, but he already noticed Iroh in a hot spring.  
"We're closing in on the Avatar," Zuko told his uncle.  
Iroh nonchalantly put his thoughts aside. "Come in and relax Zuko," Iroh invited his nephew.  
I had closed my eyes, mostly out of respect and partly because…well, he was old!  
"Get out!" Zuko ordered urgently.  
Iroh stood up and Zuko looks away.  
"Meet us at the ship or we're leaving without you."

***Iroh***

Iroh had snoozed off in the hot water and was awoken by a meadow vole. It jumped around trying to warn him.  
"That's a cute dance you got there," Iroh smiled sleepily.  
Then an upward landslide traps the old Fire bender in place. Earth benders approach the imprisoned man and recognized his red cloths.  
"This is no ordinary soldier. He is the Fire Lord's brother, Dragon of the West. The once Great General Iroh, but now he's our prisoner," the captain of the group says.  
Iroh glared at the group, unable to move, imprisoned completely in rock.

***Katara***

The sky was tinged a darkening blue as Zuko and I arrived at the hot springs once again. We spotted the earth shaped into jagged cuts inside the spring and realize Iroh's been captured by Earth benders.  
I swallowed. "I hope it wasn't anyone I know."  
Zuko raised an eyebrow. "You know Earth benders?"  
I bit my lip. "Remember that town from before? I got to know some people there…"  
Zuko narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

***Iroh***

The Earth benders used lanterns to light their way as they rode on top of armored ostriches.  
Iroh, bound by ropes and chains and wearing but a loin cloth, rode on top of one. "Where are we going?" he asked.  
"A place you're quite familiar with actually. You once lay siege to the city for 600 days, but it would not yield to you," the Captain explained.  
Iroh nodded respectively. "Ah…the Great Ba Sing Se."  
"It was greater than you," the captain quipped.  
"My men were tired, I was tired, I'm still tired," Iroh retorted as he fell off the side of the ostrich.  
The benders surrounded him and get him back on his ride.  
Iroh smirked. He had left a sandal on the trail.

***Katara***

Zuko spotted a sandal on the ground that I almost missed. He climbed off the Komodo Rhino and picked it up. He sniffed it, cringing at the smell.  
"That's a little strange, sniffing a shoe, a little stupid too," I grinned.  
"I guess…No! It's Uncle Iroh!" Zuko exclaimed, hopping back on the Rhino and speeding forward, launching me into his back.  
Sadly we only had one Rhino. Besides, even if we did have two I wouldn't ride it. Those things hate me!

***Iroh***

Iroh gasped as he saw a figure high in the sky riding a dragon.  
"Is there a problem?" the Captain asked.  
"My shackles are too loose," Iroh complained.  
The Captain gives him a confused look.  
"My old joints are sore and the shackles move around too much," Iroh explained.  
The Captain agreed and ordered the Corporal to tighten the prisoner's shackles.  
Iroh cleverly heated the metal from heat from his nostrils, burning the Corporals hands, therefore making him scream in agony.  
Iroh jumped off the ostrich, shot flames at its feet to startle it and began to roll down the side of the pathway.  
In all the confusion the Captain spotted Iroh as he rolled off the edge.

Iroh was rolling down the cliff, bracing all injuries along the way.  
Before he gets too far the Captain sends dirt over the Fire Generals body to stop him in place. The five earth benders surround the trapped man and decide to punish him, since he's too dangerous to be taken to the capital.

***Katara***

Iroh was forced to place his shackled hands on a boulder where they were to be crushed.  
The Captain Earth bended another boulder to crush Iroh's hands with but didn't get too far. This was because Zuko jumped out-seemingly from nowhere-and kicked the boulder aside.  
Meanwhile, I bended a stream of water from a nearby stream and freeze Iroh's shackles, breaking them.  
"Nice form guys," Iroh complimented us.  
"You taught me well," Zuko said as the three of us got into fighting stances, I hold a stream of water behind me.  
"Surrender yourselves! It's three against five, you're clearly outnumbered," The Captain called out.  
"Ah, true, but you're clearly outmatched," Iroh replied cunningly.  
The Fight begun.  
Iroh used the now broken chain to break rocks thrown at him.  
Zuko swiftly dodged boulders aimed in his direction and knocked out two of the soldiers with Fire bending kicks.  
I whipped two of the remaining three but they only seemed to get angrier…a large boulder is aimed at me.  
Iroh stepped in front of me and uses his chains to grab hold of the boulder and thrust it back at the Earth benders.  
I nodded thanks in his direction and he shrugged.  
Only the Captain was left. He easily avoids and counteracts Zuko's fire attacks. He raised two tall earth pillars above him but Uncle Iroh's chains caught him around his ankles and pulled him down; his own element buried him, defeating him.  
Together, we made an awesome trio. Well…not me very much…I need to practice fighting moves more. The fight ended in a few short minutes.  
Zuko placed a hand on his uncle's shoulder. "Now will you please put on some clothes!" he said as Iroh was still only wearing that loin cloth around his mid section…

**(Winter Solstice Part II; Avatar Roku)**

We had tracked the Avatar down to a small village outside a scorched forest. An elderly man that looked like the village leader walked out of his home to confront Prince Zuko.  
Zuko pushed the elder to the ground. "Have you seen the Avatar? Tell me the truth!" he demanded brusquely.  
I ran over to the old man and helped him up. "Zuko! How dare you! You could have hurt him!" I scolded the Prince. I turned to the man. "Have you seen the little Avatar?" I asked softly.  
The Man nodded. "He left."  
"Do you know where?"  
"The Fire Nation Temple."

Zuko's ship was hot in pursuit. He had an eye pressed to the telescope as he searched the skies. We were nearing Fire Nation territory.  
Zuko turned his attention back to the telescope. By his reaction he spotted the bison. "Full speed ahead," he ordered.

We begin to reach a blockade. I decided it was best to stay quiet, thinking of my previous times where I spoke out of turn.  
"Run the blockade!" Zuko ordered his men on board.

***Zhou*  
**  
In charge of the blockade, Commander Zhao stands proudly. With his telescope he spots the Avatar and Prince Zuko's ship.  
"Fire the catapults! Aim for the bison!" he ordered.  
"It's a buffalo sir," one soldier smart mouthed.  
Zhao shot him a 'I don't give a shit,' look.  
"Um…there's a Fire Nation ship out there, it may be hit."  
"So be it. It has a traitor on it anyway," Zhao simply replied. "And a competitor." He added the last part, softer. The Firelord wouldn't mind. He didn't like his son too much anyway, or his brother. The other men were replaceable.

***Katara***

I watched as the flying bison-Appa-skillfully swerved and dodged the fireballs. One fire ball slammed into the side of the ship. Everyone on deck slammed forward into the side. By the soldiers shouts I could tell that the engines had been damaged.  
"Keep going! It's only a scratch!" Zuko exclaimed, downsizing the damage by a long shot.  
"A scratch?" I asked pulling myself up from against the wall where I fell.  
He ignored me. Trying to be optimistic I guess.

***Zhou***

A soldier walked up to Commander Zhao. "Where do you think the Avatar is headed sir?" he asked.  
"I don't know, but I bet a certain the prince does," Zhao said as he eyed Zuko's ship nearing.  
"We're on a collision course nephew," General Iroh told the prince.  
The girl remained quiet.  
"We can make it," Zuko said firmly.  
Zhao contemplated for a bit before ordering the men to cut the engines. Before the three ships collided the two blockade ships stop, letting Zuko's ship pass.  
Zhao and Zuko glared at each other furiously as they passed as if they could read each other's minds.  
Iroh stroked his beard in thought and the girl twirled a strand of hair from the end of her Fire Nation styled braid-that hung over her shoulder- around her finger in a nervous gesture of sorts'.

***Katara***

After a while Zuko's ship was still sailing.  
"What is Zhao up to uncle?" Zuko asked through gritted teeth, hands gripping the handrail with frustration.  
I placed a hand on top of Zuko's before Iroh explained. "Zhao wants to follow us. We're both after the same prize-the Avatar."  
"If Zhao wants to follow a trail of smoke that's exactly what I'll let him do," Zuko said.

***Zhou***

Zuko put his plan into action, but of course, Zhao didn't know Zuko had a plan. He watched from behind his telescope as Zuko climbed into a small boat after it was lowered into the water. The girl started to follow him and inside the boat Zuko told her something and she seemed to get annoyed. She snapped at him and he gave in.  
Zhao looked away from his telescope and frowned.

***Katara***

"Aang, now!" a Fire Sage called out.  
Aang didn't appear, and this was because Zuko and I had arrived, hiding behind a pillar. It took a while to get here, luckily water bending helped. I'm so proud of myself! I carried us all the way up here on water!  
Sokka called out Aang's name, breaking my train of thought.  
Zuko and I emerged, Zuko holding a struggling Aang's arms behind his back. "The Avatar's coming with me," he said.  
The other sages took this opportunity and took hold of each of their captors—Momo and Sokka both managed to hold one, the good, I presumed, Fire Sage had held two somehow.  
"Close the doors!" Zuko barks.  
I look over and see Sokka, the Fire Sage, and Momo now chained to a pillar.  
Aang managed to get out of Zuko's grip and ran forward diving through the closing doors.

Zuko was now interrogating the Fire Sage, who we found out was named Shyu. "Why did you help the Avatar?"  
"It was once the Sages' duties, it still is," Shyu responded, simply.  
I nodded. "Indeed,"  
Zuko shot me and an annoyed look.  
"It is!" I cried.  
"I thought you were on my side!" Zuko argued.  
I am!" I trailed. '"That just makes sense."  
We spun around to the sound of applauding.  
"What a moving and heartfelt performance, I'm sure the Fire Lord will understand when you explain why you three betrayed him," Zhao-who has arrived sadly-said.  
The Sages bowed in respect as Zhao turned to Zuko. "It was a noble effort my prince, but your smokescreen failed to work."  
Zuko glared at the Commander as he continues.  
"The Fire Lord will be pleased when he learns I captured three traitors in one day," he said as two soldiers walk up and hold Zuko and my hands behind our backs.  
"Three? Katara and I did not betray him!" Zuko exclaimed, appalled.  
"Who will your father believe? A trusted commodore; or his least favorite child?"  
Zuko fell silent.  
"You're too late Zhao! The Avatar is safe inside and the doors are sealed!" I snapped.  
"You have quite the mouth girl, but no matter. Sooner or Later the Avatar has to come out."

The doors would open any time now. Zhao and his men prepared to attack.  
"As soon as the doors open unleash all your fire power!" Zhao shouted.  
Shyu, Sokka, Momo, Zuko, and I were all chained to pillars.  
"How is Aang going to get out of this?" I asked, worried for the boy.  
Zuko shot me a confused look and I fell silent. I'm supposed to be on Zuko's side. He's been my best friend since I was seven. But…my brother…  
"How are _we_ going to get out of this!" Sokka asked, forgetting about the necklace for a moment, the necklace that lay right in his pocket…

The doors opened and Zhao and his men unleash all their fire at the figure standing before them. The fire spiraled into a sphere.  
Zhao appeared to be shocked to see Avatar Roku standing amidst in it, eyes glowing.  
Avatar Roku, I learnt his name from history classes I attended with Zuko back in the Fire Nation, sent the flames flying back, sending Zhao and his men down and disintegrated the chains around the five of us.  
Shyu, Sokka, and Momo looked up in amazement as we are unhurt.  
Though as soon as we were free Zuko grabbed my arm and ran to the exit.  
I looked at my brother sadly as I bended water up from the sea to take us out from the window.

***Zhao***

Zhao watched in fury as the Avatar escaped yet again. He grumbled about how Prince Zuko got away too. Luckily, he did have five traitors, he thought looking at the five sages, including Shyu.  
"Technically only Shyu helped the Avatar Sir," the leader sage says.  
"Save it for the Fire Lord!" Zhao snapped. "As far as I'm concerned you're all guilty!"

***Katara***

I stood by Zuko trying to comfort him as he was very upset and stressed. He is my best friend and all.  
Zuko listened to me as he watched the Avatar through his telescope, but with more of a "We'll meet again' look. He was giving the boy a break; well, at least for now.


	9. Chapter 9

**Writerswand  
Boiling Water  
****_The Water Bending Scroll_****  
****_Jet_****  
Chapter 9**

***Katara***

I sat, bored, on the ship's railing as I watched Zuko practice Fire bending. Both Zuko and Uncle Iroh always tell me not to sit on this and that I'll fall, I reply that I'm a Water bender and they drop it.  
Suddenly the ship took a sharp right turn. Zuko slammed sideways into the ship wall and I fell off.  
I screamed in surprise more than anything.  
Zuko ran over, planning to drop an anchor-or that's at least how it looked- but saw me rising myself with water.  
I drop next to him, bending the water off of me and off the ship, annoyed.  
"I told you-"he began.  
"Am I hurt? No!" I snapped. Stupid karma, I thought as Zuko sighed. "Why did we turn?" I asked after I was dry, changing the subject.  
"Somebody has changed course," Zuko said before we rush inside the ship.  
We quickly found Iroh.  
"Uncle! What do you think you're doing!?" Zuko asked.  
"I lost a Lotus tile for my Pai Sho game, I have to go into town and find one," Iroh explained.  
"Oh, that makes sense; you shouldn't go around pretending to be a master of a game if you don't even have all the pieces!" I exclaimed, sarcastically.  
"Yes! See Zuko, the girl understands—wait, pretends?" Iroh turned to me with an eyebrow raised.  
Zuko grumbled to himself and walks away.  
I giggled.

Iroh, Zuko, and I walked around this small port town looking for a Lotus tile. It was not going so well.  
Zuko was getting annoyed and I was getting bored. As we passed a ship I got distracted. I looked over to the two and made sure they weren't paying attention before running onto the ship.  
I looked around and figured out that this was a pirate ship, whatever. I walked around the ship, looking at the available merchandise.  
As I was walking around the ship I heard two familiar voices behind me.  
I turned my back to them and pretended to be examining a shelf.  
"Aang, we should really get back before we waste our last two coins on more junk!" Sokka cried.  
"My Appa whistle is not junk!" Aang cried.  
I was pretending to examine the shelf but I couldn't help but get distracted. Today was definitely not a good day for me.  
I pulled out a blue scroll and opened it. My eyes widened and I almost shrieked. A water bending scroll! I had to get this! I ran over to the tall man with a dark beard standing behind a counter.  
"How much is this?" I asked rapidly.  
The man laughs. "Too much for you."  
My eyes narrowed. "Just tell me the price!"  
"You don't have to be feisty."  
"Just tell me."  
"200 gold coins," the man says gruffly.  
I swallowed and reached into my pockets slowly, coming out empty, even though I knew I would. Oh how I wish Zuko was here now. I looked behind my shoulder and see Sokka examining swords. Typical.  
"Miss? Are you going to buy it or not?" the man asked.  
"Um…" I trail.  
Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder.  
I jumped and turn around, startled. Aang stood there looking up at me.  
"I remember you!" He said, dreamily. Weird. "You trying to buy something you don't have the money for?" he asked.  
I nodded slowly.  
Aang leaned in closer to me. ""You have to bargain with these kinds of people," he whispered.  
The boy jumped in front of me and leaned against the counter, whipping out a coin and holding it up with his fingers. "How about for one copper coin?" he asked in a funny accent.  
The pirate burst out laughing and Aang's face brightens. The pirate stopped laughing. "No,"  
Aang's face fell but he quickly recollected himself. "How about TWO copper coins?" he asked, picking up his accent again and whipping out another coin.  
"It was funny the first time, now it's just silly. I'm not selling for less than 200 gold coins," the pirate said, bored.  
Aang sighed and turned to me, holding the scroll out to me, expecting me to put it back."I'm sorry," he said.  
"It's fine…" I trailed.  
We split and I walked over to the shelf, pretending to put the scroll back.

After a little while I cautiously looked around and walk out towards the exit. Sokka and Aang left a moment ago and I saw them walking along the river.  
I ran up to them and threw my arms around their shoulders, the scroll in the folds of my dress.  
I looked behind my shoulder as I speak. "Hey guys! Mind if I stay with you two for a while?"  
"Nope!" Aang said happily.  
"Oui! It's those kids! Get them!" one pirate roared from the top deck of the ship.  
"Come on!" I shouted as we break into a run.  
In the high speed chase, Aang air bended a vender's cart out of the way, causing cabbages to fly everywhere.  
"My cabbages! This place is worse than Omashu!" the vender screamed. Huh?  
"Poor guy…" Aang trailed.  
"I think it's time to split!" I cried as I ran in the opposite direction from the boys, knowing they would be fine.

I spotted Zuko and Iroh walking towards the harbor. I ran over to them.  
"So, uncle, I think it's time-"Zuko began, but Iroh seemed to spot the pirate ship and raced toward it.  
Zuko sighed as I fell into pace next to him.  
Zuko looked over at me. "Katara? Where have you been?"  
I put on a clueless face of innocence. "What do you mean? I've been here all along!"  
Zuko shrugged as he started to walk up the ramp to the pirate ship. "You coming?"  
"Um…You know, I think I'll rather stay outside," I said, scratching the back on my neck.  
.

Later in the night I creeped of the ship and swam to the other side of the river. I pulled myself to land and bended the water off of me. I opened the water bending scroll and pick out a move to practice.  
Single water whip. I studied the formation and put the scroll on my waistband. I held my hands in front of me to bend a stream of water out of the river. And I begin to practice.

Frustrated, I slammed my arms down, the water splashed up all around me. Why couldn't I get this? It looked so easy!  
I felt a hand on my shoulder and jumped up and turedn around, startled, splashing cold water on whoever it was.  
I came to face with Zuko and my hand flew to my chest. "Oh, it's just you," I let out a relieved sigh.  
"Were you expecting someone else?" Zuko asked, an eyebrow raised, the water quickly evaporating off of him.  
"Of course not!"  
"Then what are you doing out here in the middle of the night?"  
I looked down, staring at my toes. "Practicing…I wanted to actually be a help in a fight…" I trailed.  
"You are 'Tara, don't you think you aren't," Zuko said, giving me a small smile.  
I smile back a little, noticing the pirates from before standing a ways off behind Zuko. "What are they doing here?" I asked softly, happy the scroll was hidden.  
"I teamed up with them to help me find the Avatar; and they want to get a water bending scroll he stole from them," Zuko explained.  
"And you trust them?"  
"Frankly, no, but they're pirates, when they want something, they will do almost anything to get it."  
I closed my eyes. "That's what I'm afraid of," I said faintly.

Since then I did my best to stay clear of the pirates. Shortly after our conservation ended the pirates ran off to find the Avatar. They soon captured them and brought them back, all tied up.  
Aang looked around worriedly and Sokka's brow was scrunched together, he must have been thinking hard.  
Aang saw me and caught my eye. He grinned as if to tell me everything will be okay and they would get out of this in no time at all.  
I looked back at Sokka and saw his eyes widen.  
I smiled, he's gotten an idea.  
"Why are you guys helping that spoiled rotten prince? What is he paying you?" Sokka asked the pirates.  
"He promised that he would help us get back the water bending scroll you stole from us," one pirate pointed out.  
Sokka's eyes flickered over to me for a moment before returning to the pirates. "And you trust him? We got no water bending scroll, and you think a _fire bender_ does either?" Sokka questioned the pirates.  
The same pirate opened his mouth to speak but closes it, confused. They hadn't stolen the scroll had they? It was that brunette.  
Freakishly, all of the pirates' eyes turned toward me. Uh Oh.  
"The Prince's girl stole it! He's playing us!" another pirate screamed.  
I put my empty hands up. "Whatever do you mean? Whatever would I need a water bending scroll for? I'm Fire Nation!" I cried, lying through my teeth.  
Sadly, the scroll fell from my dress to the ground below. Stupid Karma!  
"Curses," I muttered.  
The pirates scowled and Zuko turned to me, a mixture of confusion and anger on his face.  
I smiled meekly. "Sorry?"  
Zuko snarled and turns toward the raging pirates. "I had no say in this!" Zuko shouted. "Listen to me! It's the Avatar! Get him!"  
The pirate captain walked toward Zuko. "I don't think you should be ordering us around anymore little prince," he grinned  
A fight broke out with Aang and Sokka in the middle of it all.  
I watched them scramble to free themselves. Momo swooped in and snatched the water bending scroll, the Captain's reptile bird hot on her tail.  
Suddenly a dust cloud erupts, most likely a cover Aang created. There was a lot of shouting and I couldn't make sense of it.  
The dust cloud disappeared for a moment and I see Aang surrounded by weapons all pointed at him, held by pirates and Fire nation soldiers.  
Aang brought the cover down again and the chaos continued.  
When I finally saw Aang and Sokka emerged out of the dust cloud I beckon them over, to where I stood by the ships.  
"You need to get out of here!" I whispered loudly. "Aang, help me water bend the ship into the water,"  
"I can't water bend!" Aang cried.  
"Just try, you're the Avatar for crying out loud, it can't be too hard."  
Aang reluctantly helped me and we slowly water bend the ships into the water. We jumped into the pirate ship and began speeding down the river.  
I looked behind my shoulder and saw that the pirates have taken control of Zuko's ship and were chasing us down the river, gaining on us. They were practically on our tail, figuratively of course, not literally like in Momo's case.  
Speaking of Momo, she had dropped the scroll into my hands.  
"Thanks Mo!" I said, scratching behind her big ear.  
I looked off the side of the ship and see Zuko and Iroh running after the ships. I stifled a laugh.  
Sokka shrieked and I looked to see us heading straight for a waterfall!  
Aang and I ran to the front of the ship and I frantically taught him to push and pull the water.  
We slowly and steadily saved the boat, stopping it right before the waterfall.  
Alas, Zuko's ship, controlled by the pirates, slammed into us, destroying their ship.  
We were forced to jump off, over the falls.  
In desperation, Aang blew a soundless whistle.  
Sokka groans but miraculously Appa swooped down from the clouds and saved us.  
I sighed, relieved, and dropped the scroll. I gave my regards and jumped off Appa, bending water from the river to me to carry me to the riverbank. It was challenging, all that control, but determination helps though, well, and some adrenaline, which is why I gave Aang the water bending scroll. He needed it more than I. I've taught myself for nearly my whole life, I can do it now and later too, besides, Aang is the Avatar; he needed to learn water bending way before me.

Zuko and Iroh skid to a stop on a cliff, adjacent the falls.  
Zuko scowled as he watched the Avatar get away once again.  
Uncle Iroh whipped a Lotus tile out of his sleeve. "I know this may be frustrating but it was in my sleeve the whole time!" He grinned.  
I laughed and Zuko snatched the tile away from his uncle, throwing it over the falls in frustration.  
Aw, too bad, now Uncle Iroh really does need to go shopping!

***Sokka***

Sokka leans over Appa, water bending scroll and Southern Water Tribe Southern necklace in hand.  
"WAIT!" he cried, but his long departed, little sister was already gone.

_**Jet**_

Momo was chasing after a flying insect. She landed on the ground and was distracted by a pile of lynched nuts on a bunch of leaves. She hungrily jumped into the pile and was trapped in a cage with two other animals in similar traps, hanging suspended from tree branches.

"Momo! Where are you?" Aang called, searching for his beloved pet.  
Sokka followed him, dripping wet from Aang's last 'teach himself Water bending' with the scroll.  
Suddenly Momo's cry was heard throughout the forest. Aang broke into a run, following the sound of the cries, eventually coming to the traps.  
Aang leapt into the air and lowered the cage for Momo to escape.  
The captured hog-monkey's cried out and Sokka tossed his boomerang to cut the ropes, freeing them.  
Sokka caught his boomerang in its return and slid it back in his case as he knelt down to examine the trap. "Hey Aang, look at this,"  
Aang squatted down next to him to look.  
"See the metal? The insignia? These are Fire Nation traps, we have to move," Sokka pointed out.

The three returned to camp and Aang and Sokka packed up.  
Aang was about to put his pack on Appa when Sokka spoke. "The Fire Nation has been able to track us because of Appa's humongous size, we should stay hidden and walk," Sokka pointed out, proclaiming himself as leader of the small group, and that they should rely on his instincts.  
Aang sighed. "Well, who knows, walking could be fun!" Aang cried, trying to be optimistic.

After a long while of walking the pair were exhausted.  
"How did people ever get anywhere without flying bison's?" Aang wondered, yawning.  
"I guess I'm-" Sokka began but is interrupted by someone throwing their arms around his and Aang's shoulders.  
"Hey guys! What are you doing out here?" a familiar, feminine voice asked.  
Sokka looked sideways and saw the dark haired, pale skinned, green eyed beauty looking behind her shoulder.  
"Hi Jojo!" Aang beamed, happily.  
"Hey Aang," Jojo said without looking at him.  
"No greeting for me?" Sokka asked, pretending to pout.  
Jojo turned her head to face him, pretending to be annoyed. "Well he said hi and you didn't,"  
Aang laughed and Sokka smiled.  
"So, where's Appa? I've decided to go with you and be your Earth bending teacher!" Jojo said quickly.  
"You did?" Aang asked.  
Jojo nodded, quickly.  
"Well that's great! But I need to learn water bending first since I already started a little…" Aang trailed.  
Jojo waved him off. "That's perfect! But seriously, where's Appa? We need to get a move on—right Sokka?" She asked, winking at him.  
"Uh…" Sokka trailed.  
"Sokka said it would be better to walk because then the Fire Nation won't be able to find us so easily," Aang explained to her.  
Jojo pursed her lips together. "Who made him leader?"  
Aang shrugged. "Something about instincts."  
"Why aren't you leader? You all the Avatar after all!"  
Aang didn't get to respond because just then a jet of flames shot out towards them, just missing Sokka, slightly singeing his sleeve but not catching.  
Soon enough the foursome-including Momo- were surrounded by Fire Nation soldiers, bursting with anger intensified fire power.  
"We promise not to hurt you if you let us pass," Sokka bluffed.  
The leader laughed but is shot in the back by an arrow.  
The group and the soldiers are shocked, Jojo is first to recover though and runs to the dead man, pulling out the arrow. She knelt, examining it.  
It was a simple arrow, wooden, feather, iron arrowhead, but this specific arrowhead was blunt, this excellent archer had to be very skilled.  
Jojo stood up just before a group of teenagers jumped down from the trees and began taking out the soldiers.  
Jojo's eyes immediately fell to the boy about Sokka's age. He had short brown hair, tanned skin, and dark eyes. He wielded Twin Tiger-Head Hook swords, weapons that took a lot of training to use properly, Jojo noted, thinking about the darts hidden in her sleeves.  
She had sleeping, poison, and just normal darts. Her attention was diverted back to the boy; he took out four soldiers in seconds.  
Jojo's eyed the tall, quiet boy sitting on a high tree branch, raining his arrows down on the soldiers; they are disarmed by his accurate shots.  
Jojo then recollected herself and joined Aang who is using his bending skills to help attack the soldiers.  
Jojo kicked up a boulder and punched it at a soldier, knocking him into a tree, hard.  
At the same time a huge man carrying a log twice the height of the tallest soldier smashed the soldier's blades to useless pieces of metal.  
The soldiers leftover retreated in hopeless defeat and Jet jumped, taking out two more soldiers in a spin, where he landed in front of Jojo—who grins.  
Aang seemed to be in awe. "That was amazing! You all took them out so quickly! I'm Aang, the Avatar, and this is Sokka and Jojo," he said, introducing them all. "Oh, and this is Momo," he added as she perched on his shoulder.  
The cute boy with the hook swords nodded. "Thanks, I'm Jet and these runts are my gang, the Freedom Fighters, Sneers, Smellerbee, Longshot, the Duke, and Pipsqueak," Jet explained, nodding in the direction of his friends.  
"Hey, you Pipsqueak?" Sokka asks, looking down at the small boy.  
"I'm the Duke!" he shouted.  
"Oh…" Sokka trailed meekly.  
"I'm Pipsqueak," the big man said gruffly.  
"Funny names," Sokka muttered.  
"I wouldn't say that, they all look capable of killing you," Jojo whispered in reply solemnly, without looking at him.  
The group of Freedom Fighters walked into the bush.  
"Where are they going?" Aang asked Jet.  
"Before we ambushed the soldiers pursuing the Kissing Bandit-" Jet winked at Jojo- "We stumbled upon an abandoned Fire nation camp with barrels of blasting jelly and jelly candy we can take with us to our hideout," Jet informed the group.  
Aang nodded. "I'll go help!" he cried, running into the bush.

Jojo leaned against a tree spinning pebbles in the air above her fingers when Jet appeared out of the shadows and approached her.  
"Thanks for helping us, I know Aang already told you this, but you and your group are very skilled. I mean, so am I, but that was a lot of soldiers and I've been running for a while, I'm Jojo, of you didn't catch it," Jojo complimented Jet.  
Jet nodded. "Yeah, when I saw the way you three fought-especially the way you blasted boulders at them- I wondered why you didn't attack them earlier."  
"Apparently we were relying on instinct," Jojo shrugged, glancing a sidelong glare at Sokka, eyes narrow. He looked green with jealously, arms crossed, annoyed look on his face.  
Jet laughed. "You can get yourself killed doing that."

Jojo, Aang, and Sokka were taken to the Freedom Fighter's hideout, which was hidden above, in the treetops.  
"Ponytail boy! Garb a rope!" Jet exclaimed.  
Sokka frowned. "It's not a ponytail," but he grabbed the rope and was blasted off into the trees.  
Jet offered a rope to Aang but he rejected it. "I got this," he said before leaping from branch to branch.  
"I'll like that," Jojo said, reaching for the rope, but Jet holds it away from her.  
"No, Jo, it's the only one left," Jet grinned.  
"Then I'll toss it back!" Jojo snapped.  
Jet grabbed Jojo's hand with his free hand and swung her into his arms. Before she could protest he jumped off the platform and soon enough Jet was holding Jojo with one arm as they ascended up into the trees.  
When they reached their destination they dropped down onto another, higher, platform.  
"Whoa," Jojo breathed, taking in the scenery.  
They were amongst the trees, with wooden steps, ropes, and bridges that transport people to and from little huts built on branches.  
"I've never been this high before, unless I earth bend myself in the air, this is wicked, quite the sight Jet," Jojo complimented it.  
Realizing she's still in his arms, she spun out of them and balanced herself against the tree.  
They began walking to where the rest of the group would be waiting. As Jojo and Jet walked together, Jet explained their goal, which is to liberate a nearby Earth Kingdom village from the Fire Nation.  
Then he told the story of some of his fighters. Longshot's village was burned down by the Fire Nation and the Duke was caught stealing food from the Fire Nation as is believed to have no real home.  
"What about you Jet?" Jojo asked.  
Jet stopped, frozen in place on the middle of a bridge. "My parents were killed by the Fire Nation, I was only eight," he replied, solemnly.  
"My mother was killed by the Fire Nation when I was just an infant, I hardly remember her voice, I don't, and I just know her by the little picture my father used to keep of her. My father was kidnapped by the Fire Nation and is probably dead, I was only seven. A year before we moved out of Ba Sing Se to a small village, I don't know why, that village was burned down when I was eight," Jojo explained.  
Jet apologized and they stood on the bridge in silence, not realizing that Sokka had followed them in the shadows, green with envy.

Nighttime approached and everyone was gathered around a large meal table.  
Jet gave an inspirational speech and commented on the ambush that occurred earlier.  
"Everyone was great, especially Aang and Jojo, you're excellent benders," Jet complimented the two.  
"I know," Jojo waved him off.  
"Thanks!" Aang beamed happily.  
"You both could be a lot of help in our upcoming mission-"Jet began but Sokka stood, interrupting him.  
"I'm sorry, but we are going to have to leave tomorrow," he said, a mixture of skepticism, jealously, suspiciousness, and stubbornness all rolled up in one.  
"But Sokka, I have something planned for you too, it's very important," Jet grinned.  
Sokka turned to face him, now interested.

The next day, shafts of sunlight seeped through the foliage.  
Jet, Pipsqueak, and the Duke hide in the trees, communicating by whistling.  
Sokka stabbed his knife into a tree and pressed his ear against it, listening for any vibrations.  
Sokka eyes widened and he ran to Jet. "Someone's approaching!" he reported.  
Sokka ran to see who it is and saw that it's only an old man taking a stroll. "False alarm! It's only an old man!"  
Ignoring Sokka, Jet jumped to the ground, a maniacal grin on his face. Jet jumped in front of the old man and he started.  
Jet began to interrogate the old man; he tried to run away but bumped into Pipsqueak and fell to the ground.  
Jet loomed over his elder and began mercilessly throwing accusations at him.  
The old man begged for mercy. Jet was merciless, and cruel.  
"Does the Fire Nation have mercy?" he spat at the old man.  
Before he kicked the old man-who is on all fours- Sokka caught Jet's foot with his Water Tribe club and flipped him over, anger about this intensified by anger about yesterday as well.  
"He's a harmless civilian Jet! Don't do this! I let you get away with some things, but not this!" he cried.  
The three Freedom Fighters reluctantly leave but Sokka stayed for a second, staring down at the old, innocent man.

Aang was running around a platform, having fun throwing firecrackers down on the ground. He threw one at Momo.  
Momo was startled and swiped the bag from Aang, now making Aang jump to avoid the thrown sparkers.  
Jojo sat cross-legged on the ground, taking one apart.  
A disgruntled Sokka walked up to her and she looked up.  
"Jet is a thug; he ruthlessly attacked an old man," he informed her.  
"Just because he's old doesn't make him not dangerous," Jojo pointed out, remembering King Bumi.  
"He was harmless, defenseless!" Sokka argued.  
Jojo sighed. "I'll talk to him, but I don't believe you."

In Jet's room, Jojo abruptly confronted Jet, slamming him against a wall. "I heard you attacked a harmless old man."  
Sokka smiled as Jet and his shared crush slammed-literally and figuratively- his rival.  
"Did Sokka mention he was Fire Nation?" Jet asked.  
Jojo looked back at Sokka, one hand still firmly pressing Jet against the wall.  
"He was still a harmless civilian!" Sokka cried.  
"Hardly," Jet scoffed, tossing something on the ground.  
Sokka picked it up, examining it. When he was finished he looked up. "This is an assassin's knife, with a hidden compartment for poison."  
Jet nodded. "The old man was sent to eliminate me."  
"The old man never had this! He was unarmed!" Sokka shouted, storming out of the room.  
Aang-who was surprisingly quiet-shifted his feet.  
Jet proceeded to tell Aang and Jojo about the Fire Nation's plan to burn down the forest.  
Aang shook his head sadly as Jet spoke

Aang and Jojo headed back to their shelter.  
"The Fire Nation is going to burn down this forest to Sokka!" Aang cried, tears in his eyes.  
"Don't worry Aang. Jet is very smooth, but he can't be trusted," Sokka said softly.  
"You're just jealous because he's a better fighter and leader than you. He's also cuter," Jojo grinned.  
"I am not jealous! And he is ugly! Plus my instincts-"  
"_My_ instincts tell me to stay longer and help Jet."  
"Then stay! Aang and I are leaving!"  
"…but I want to help to…" Aang trailed.  
Sokka sighed.  
"Ha ha," Jojo said, tapping Sokka on the noise, before she left the shelter with Aang, leaving Sokka alone.

Appa was resting in the trees' canopy as Sokka, Jojo, and Aang rested in their shelter.  
Sokka rested in his guard position and was startled awake by movement outside. He peered outside to see Freedom Fighters descending down ropes.  
He quickly followed them through bushes, branches, and brambles. It was almost dawn. They stopped by the edge of a cliff with the view of a reservoir and the Earth Kingdom town.  
Sokka listened as Jet explained that the reservoir needed to be full so none of the soldiers could survive.  
"But what of the people in town, won't they be wiped out too?" the Duke asked.  
"That's the price to get rid of the Fire Nation in this area," Jet sighed. He continued. "Longshot will not blow the dam until I give the signal…"  
While Sokka was eavesdropping he was taken by surprise when Smellerbee and Pipsqueak grab him from behind.  
Jet and Sokka argued but when Sokka did not heed Jet's words he ordered Pipsqueak and Smellerbee to take him on a long walk.  
As Sokka was being led away Jet spoke. "Cheer up Ponytail boy, because we're going to win a great victory against the Fire Nation today," he grinned.

Jet, Jojo and Aang walke along an almost dry riverbed to where they would be able to help.  
Aang was suddenly blasted in the air by a stream of hot air.  
"We're here," Jet grinned. "There is underground water trying to escape through vents in the ground. I want you to extract water from the geysers."  
Aang nodded, beginning to do the task.  
"What am I supposed to do? I'm no water bender," Jojo asked.  
Jet shrugged. "Open the geysers wider from Aang, open up a part of the river temporary to let water fill up the river, not to fast though, when you're done meet me back at the hideout."  
Jojo nodded and Jet left.

The pair finished early, as they would with a skilled earth bender on hand, and Jojo decides that they should meet Jet at the reservoir.  
"He'll be happy to see us," Jojo grinned.  
Aang nodded. "Of course!"

At the reservoir, Jojo and Aang saw barrels of blasting jelly lines in front of the dam.  
"Jet's going to blow the dam!" Jojo realized, wishing she hadn't doubted Sokka's suspicions.  
Aang headed toward the dam on his glider but Jet intercepted disarmed him.  
He held his arms up. "All right, you caught me, I was going to destroy the town and its inhabitants, but it's war, the cost of war, the only way,"-he turns toward Jojo-"I want you to understand me Jo, I thought Sokka would too."  
"Where's Sokka?" Jojo demanded.  
Jet began to walk towards her but she kicked up a boulder at him who just narrowly dodged it.  
"Tell me dammit!" she screamed.

Aang tried to grab his glider but Jet used his hook swords to pull it away and began to attack.  
Aang leapt onto a tree branch. "I will not fight you Jet!"  
"You're going to have to if you want your glider back," Jet said, turning his back to Jojo, who is extremely angry now for being ignored.  
Jet then leapt up onto the branch and they end up battling in the trees. Jet and Aang leapt from branch to branch and balance on the broad branches. Jet's awesome skill with the Tiger hooks was shown when he attaches them together and doubles his range. Aang avoided the attacks and used his air bending skills to blow Jet off the branch. He succeeded, but Jet caught hold of a branch with his Tiger hooks.  
In the process, he dropped the glider and Aang began to plummet down towards his glider.  
Jet released himself from the branch and increased his speed by plummeting straight down. He grabbed hold of a limber branch and swatted Aang into another branch.  
Aang fell to the ground and landed on his back with a hard thud.  
Jet jumped down and began to approach the fallen Avatar when a speeding boulder with Jojo on top slammed him into a tree.  
"I'm an idiot Jet, I thought you were like me but of course you aren't. No one is. You are no better than the Fire Nation!" she spat at his shoes, not able to come up with much else better in her rage.  
"I'm nothing like the Fire Nation!" Jet cried.  
"Oh really? So you weren't going to kill a bunch of innocent people? That's what the Fire Nation does, you know that Jet."  
Jet stares at the Earth bender, suddenly teary eyed, memories must have swarmed him. "I'm sorry, I really am Jo."  
"Don't be telling me that."  
Jet sighed but a whistle sound comes out by mistake. Jet's eyes widened. "Jo!" he screamed.  
Jojo's eyes flickered to the dam and she jumped up, shooting herself in the air, and was sent flying towards the river.  
She lifted her arms and piled boulder on top of boulder until the rushing water came to a stop.  
Jojo sighed, relieved and exhausted, as she earth bended herself back to the group, where Sokka was with the townspeople. He had explained something to a guilty, ashamed looking Jet.  
Jojo grinned. "Looks that you needn't go through all that trouble Sokka, the town is fine."  
"Yeah! Jojo saved it! It was some wicked earth bending! She's gotta teach me!" Aang cried.  
Jojo leaned against a tree, arms crossed. "Water bending first, remember?"  
Aang pouted, but she was right…  
"Well, we should probably be going…" Sokka trailed as Aang whistled for Appa.  
"Can I come with you?" Jet asked.  
"Why!?" Sokka asked, harshly.  
"I need this, I want to get better and help people more, I can do that with the Avatar," Jet explained his reasoning.  
Jojo shrugged. "I see no problem with it,"  
"But what about the Freedom Fighters?" Aang asked.  
Jet smiled. "They will be fine, besides, it's time for a new leader anyways," he turns to the Smellerbee.  
"Me?" _she_ asks.  
Jet nodded and Smellerbee's eyes widened. "I promise I will do my best."  
"I know you will."  
Smellerbee's grin was as wide as the Great Divide.  
Sokka sighed. "Fine, whatever, I guess I have no say anyways."  
Jojo lightly punched him on the shoulder. "That's right! I'm the boss here, because I can kick all your asses three times over!"  
And so the foursome-plus Momo- climbed upon Appa and ascended into the skies.


	10. Chapter 10

**New chapter! :D The Great Divide part of this chapter is primarily a Avatar-based segment, but to refrain from practically just copying the show, I...added something, let's say. **

**Writerswand**  
**Boiling Water**  
_**The Great Divide**_  
_**The Storm**_  
**Chapter 10**  
The Bandit Falters

**_The Bandit Falters _**

Jet walked up to Sokka, who was lounging on the ground beside the tent, arms full of firewood. "Hey Sockface, why didn't you put the tarp up?" he asked.  
Sokka sighed. "It's dry season Jet. Besides, the tarp makes for a warm blanket."  
"And? It could still rain. And it won't be so warm if we're all wet."  
"It's dry season!"  
"You're an idiot."  
"No you are! You didn't even get enough firewood, the campfire will hardly last an hour on that!" Sokka exclaimed, now standing up.  
"Sokka, I know these parts better than you. I lived here; you're from the South Pole! It's more likely for it to rain in dry season than it is to be really cold or snow," Jet's hand was on his tiger hooks.  
All of sudden there was a large boom and the flying earth bender landed in between Sokka and Jet, her feet in five-inch deep holes formed by her hard landing. "Something going on here?" I asked.  
"Jet's turtle duck-brained," Sokka replied.  
Jet, instead of answering her, asked his own question. "Do you always have to make grand, flying entrances like that?"  
Jojo tossed her hair over her shoulder, and looked over at him. "Why, yes, do you like?"  
Jet shrugged and looked away. "Could be better, you seemed a little rough on your landing."  
"Anyway, Jojo, you completely skipped out on chores, what gives?" Sokka asked.  
"I got us some coin," she said dismissively, tossing a bag of clinking coins at Sokka's feet. Sokka picked it up and peered inside. He gasped. They were all gold—but it was stolen money. He tossed it back to her.  
"Eh, more for me," she said, pocketing the bag.  
"Jo, you really need to help out more."  
"I do! If you actually wanted to use the money I bring in we wouldn't even need to set up camp and we could just stay in an inn."  
"No we can't, we're trying to keep on a down-low from the Fire Nation Jo."  
She rolled her eyes. "Fire Nation soldiers are stupid. We can easily evade or kick their butts. I've been doing it my whole life."  
All of a sudden Aang swooped down on his glider. "Is everything all right here?" he asked, curious.  
"Everything's fine Aang," Jojo told him.  
Aang frowned. "You know, harsh words don't actually so—"  
Jojo interrupted him. "Save it for later Aang, I'm tired and hungry."

The next day the group approached a large canyon, which Aang explained was the Great Divide; the largest canyon in the world.  
"That's a lot of rocks," Jojo noted.  
"Fantastic," Sokka said sarcastically without even looking at it, scrambling up Appa.  
"So we're just gonna fly right over the largest land feature in the world?" Jojo asked.  
"Yup."  
Jojo shrugged and climbed up Appa, Jet behind her. "'Kay."  
Aang frowned and opened his mouth up to speak when a scout dressed in neat, vanilla-yellow robes ran up. "No, no, no, no! My tribe is being led across first! I ran ahead to save the spot! The Fire Nation destroyed our village, we need to get across!" he shrieked, out of breath.  
Aang held his hands up, calming the scout down. "Hey, it's okay, we were just—"  
The scout groaned, looking at a scraggly-looking tribe with matted hair dressed in animal furs approached them. "Hey, Zhangs! I'm reserving this spot for the Gan Jins! You have to wait!" he called to them, who scowled.  
Just then, boulders were blasted out of the way of the entrance of the Divide, and an elderly, but strong-looking, man emerged. "I can't guide people who aren't here," the mean shrugged. The Zhangs walked forward toward the entrance, the leader sticking her tongue out childishly at the Gan Jin Scout.  
"Wait! There they are!" the Scout said, pointing to a tribe approaching with their hair in top buns, in yellow robes, and with a gait to match their elegance.  
The Zhangs were furious; they wanted to get guided through first!  
The Gan Jin leader shook his head. "We have elderly that need to get across first. You beasts can wait."  
The name-calling did not make the situation any better. "We got sick people, they take priority over elderly!" the Zhang leader argued.  
"Maybe if you weren't so filthy you're people wouldn't get so sick," the Gan Jin leader countered in return.  
"Well maybe if you neat-freaks weren't so clean you wouldn't live to be so old!"  
Aang stepped forward. "Hey, hey, this is not needed. My flying bison can fly your sick and elderly over the canyon and you two can travel together," he said, diplomatically.  
The leaders glared at each other for a long, harsh moment but agreed, reluctantly.  
"Hey! How are we going to get across then? There's not enough room for us and their sick and elderly on Appa!" Sokka exclaimed.  
Aang shrugged. "We can walk."  
Sokka was appalled. "Walk?"  
"I don't think so." Jojo launched herself off Appa and landed next to Aang.  
The Zhangs and Gan Jins gasped. "Another earth bender! She can guide the other tribe across! We don't have to go together!"  
Jojo put her hands up and backed away. "Oh, no, I am NOT—"  
"Why not Jojo? It's a good idea," Jet, who had climbed off Appa after Jojo, smirked.  
"I have stolen from both of these tribes, and despite the famous rumors of me, they only blamed each other. I am NOT getting involved in this drama," Jojo whispered to him and Aang.  
Aang shrugged. "What are you going to do then?"  
Jojo rolled her eyes. "I am the best earth bender you will ever meet." She ran up to Great Divide and jumped.

With ease, and a little earth bending force, Jojo landed on the nearest top ledge of the Divide, and continued like that until she reached the other side of the canyon. She clapped her hands together and looked around. Now, to go have some fun whilst waiting for the group to get across the Divide themselves.

Later that night Jojo threw on her cloak, applied the thick red lipstick that she pick pocketed from a lady back in Ba Sing Se, and drew up the cloak's hood before entering the nearest village under the cover of the dark of the moon. As silent as a panther-hawk she crept into each house, like a predator after her prey; shiny gold pieces.  
Each house she entered where there was a man she would rob him of all his riches and then sign a small piece of paper '_The Kissing Bandit_' and kiss it, leaving a red lipstick mark. She would never actually kiss gross, old men, but most were stupid, and if she kissed a piece of paper and pressed it to his forehead or lips he'd be fooled.  
Jojo grinned at her little, well thought up, ploy for fame and riches—as well as a way to survive, as that was always a factor when living in this world.  
Of course, the flying earth bender didn't really mind actually kissing if he was cute. Yet, that didn't happen too often; Jojo had pretty high standards. Jet was an exception. Sokka was pretty cute himself too. She just liked playing with him.  
The last house in the village she 'visited' was like that. It was a mother and her son, who appeared to be seventeen or eighteen. She stole what there was to steal in the small house and entered a small room in the back—the boy's room. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him, sleeping peacefully in his small cot. She studied him, feeling a bit like a creeper, but quickly dismissed the thought. She was simply a teenager girl trying to make a living who stopped to admire some eye-candy.  
The boy was tall; his long legs hung over the end of the cot. His chest was bear and pale, and he had faint lines of abdominal muscles—probably from a life of work. His face was heart shaped and his features were sharp and defined, not boyish. His hair was black and just under his chin. It hung a little into his eyes. His lips were light pink and full. Jojo quickly scribbled 'the Kissing Bandit' and a little heart on a small piece of paper and put it on the dirty floor next to the boy's cot. Then she leaned over him to give him a quick kiss on the forehead, but then she decided against it and moved her lips to his, and in the motion a strand of her hair dropped down out of her hood and brushed his pretty face.  
The boy's eyes shot open, wide. They were a startling blue, despite him appearing to be Earth Nation. Usually, Jojo would take this moment to jump out the open window that was right at the end of his cot and make her escape, but she was transfixed. This gave the boy the opportunity to leap out of bed and pin her to the wall, and rather roughly if you ask her.  
"What are you doing here?" He asked, menacingly. The hold he had her in would have been promising if they were in a romantic situation, and if it were not for the look on his face.  
Jojo shook her head, pulling herself together. "Nothing, get your hands off of me!" she snapped at him, lying through her teeth.  
"You lie, you're a petty thief. What did you steal from us thief?" He asked her, pushing her harder against the wall.  
Jojo scowled. "I am an earth bender; the greatest you'll ever meet, mind you. If I wanted to I could bend earth right under your feet and crush you against the ceiling."  
"Then why don't you?" The boy taunted.  
Jojo faltered, lost in his accusing blue eyes, glinting in the starlight shining through the window.  
"Pathetic," he spat.  
Jojo shoved him off of her, digging her feet into the earthen floor. "Pathetic? You're the pathetic one! How old are you, and still living with your mother? I'm fourteen and I depend on nobody."  
"My mother is dying!"  
That felt like a slap across the face. Jojo stumbled over her words, trying to find the right ones. "I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't—"  
"You didn't know? Of course you didn't know! You don't know us, and why would you? You're a damned thief who doesn't care about anyone but herself! My mother has been sick for years and now she's dying and you want to steal the little money we have! Actually, no, take it. That's probably the only thing in the world you care about in this world," He plopped down on his cot, face in his hands.  
Jojo bit her lip before gently sitting down next to the boy. "My mom was sick too."  
The boy turned his head to her, his blue eyes wet. "Did she die?"  
"Yeah, well, the Fire Nation killed her before the sickness could."  
His lip quivered. "I'm so—"  
"My father and I left Ba Sing Se after that and moved to a small village that was burned to the ground by the Fire Nation a few years later. My father perished in the fire, or so I like to tell myself that. I have a nasty feeling he was kidnapped...probably killed later, but still. Perishing in a fire would be much kinder, I think. I've been on my own since." Jojo didn't know why she was telling a complete stranger all this.  
The boy didn't speak for a few, long moments. "I figured you merely ran away."  
Jojo smiled a little. "Well, we both had misconceptions about each other."  
The boy smiled at her back. Her heart fluttered.  
She picked up her coin purse and held it out to him. "Here, take all of it. Use it to get your mother help. Get her the best medicine, doctors; pay the expenses to travel to Ba Sing Se, whatever it is."  
The boy shook his head, refusing it. "We don't need your pity, or anybody's."  
Jojo insisted. "Take it." She shoved it in his hands before standing up and walking to the window, putting her leg through it.  
"Wait!" the boy called to her, and she turned her head to him, her hair falling over her shoulder. "What's your name?"  
"It's Jojo. What's yours?"  
"Shang."  
Jojo smiled. "That's a nice name; you're mother chose it well." She squeezed the rest of her body through the small window and went running off into the night.

Jojo woke up the next morning to the noise of a large crowd of people exiting the Great Divide. She rubbed her eyes sleepily as her three boys walked over to her.  
"Jojo! That guy is impossible!" Jet and Sokka said in unison, pointing at the other. They continued complaining about and insulting each other and Jojo turned to Aang.  
"So Aang, how did it go?"  
Aang grinned. "The Zhangs and Gan Jins are friends now. I made up a story."  
Jojo laughed. "Well that's good."  
"Now I just need to work on getting them to act like friends…" Aang frowned, looking at Sokka and Jet.  
Jojo waved him off. "Don't worry about it Aang, I got it under control."

***Zuko***

I walked down a corridor of my ship until I reached Katara's bedroom. I gently knocked on the metal door.  
"Who is it?" she asked, her sweet voice music to my ears.  
"Zuko. Katara, are you decent?"  
There was a pause. "Of course I am."  
I opened the door a bit and slipped inside, closing the door behind me. Katara was sitting with her back to me at a mirrored dresser, brushing her long, dark brown hair with a red and gold, flamed designed brush. It was pretty, but not as pretty as the hair that needed it…or the one that used it.  
"Zuko? Is something wrong?" Her face looked worried in her reflection in the mirror.  
"No, no. Everything's fine. I was just wondering about something…"  
"Wondering about what?"  
"Why did you help the Avatar escape that day with the pirates?"  
Katara bit her lip, and sighed, setting her brush down on the dresser, before turning in her seat to face me. "Pirates can't be trusted Zuko…"  
"Katara, you can't possibly expect me to believe that. You've been acting strangely since we went to the Southern Water Tribe, and it's gotten worse. I know seeing your old home had to be depressing but—"  
"It's my brother Zuko! Wouldn't you do the same if it were your sister?"  
"No."  
"Ah, well, neither would I. But what about your mother?"  
I looked away, without replying.  
"Oh, oh I'm so sorry Zuko…"  
I looked back at her. "No, it's fine. And yes, I probably would."  
"See?"  
"Yes, but Katara, I promised I wouldn't hurt your brother, and I won't. I won't even hurt the Avatar either. I mean, he can't be killed or he'll just be reincarnated. Please promise me you won't interfere with me trying to capture the Avatar again. I need to do this."  
"Why?"  
"Why? You know why Katara; I need to get my father's approval. I want him to look at me like he looks at Azula…"  
"Why would you care about the opinion of the most wicked man in the world?"  
"He's still my father Katara!"  
Katara sighed and closed her eyes. "Okay, I understand…I promise."  
I nodded. "Thank you Katara."

**_The Storm_**

Aang jolted awake, springing up, and screamed, abruptly waking up the rest of the group.  
"Aang! Seriously, this is starting to get annoying. We actually like to sleep. Are you sure you're all right?" Jojo asked, rubbing her eyes.  
Aang nodded. "I'm okay, I'll be okay," he reassures the group.

***Katara***

"Zuko, we needn't travel right now. We should make port right now; there is a very big storm coming, I can sense it," Iroh repeated his concern to his nephew.  
Zuko sighed. "Uncle, for the umpteenth time, there is not a cloud in the sky!"  
"Zuko, maybe you should believe your uncle, when people have been around for so long they tend to pick up on some helpful things," I told him.  
"See Zuko? The girl has the sense to heed my words, even if she's calling me old in the process."  
"You are old."  
"There is not a cloud in the sky!" Zuko repeated, exasperated.  
"At least consider the safety of the crew nephew," Iroh pleaded with Zuko.  
A man, the lieutenant, I think, walked up, having heard the comment and expressed his displeasure toward the prince of the Fire Nation.  
"Nobody's individual safety is as important as capturing the Avatar," Zuko explained before storming off the deck, seething.  
Iroh sighed. "You needn't think of him any lower lieutenant; he most surely does not mean what he says," Iroh reassures the soldier.  
"I sure hope that's true," I muttered.

"I don't see why I can't just steal food for us to eat. Or money for us to buy food with at that," Jojo argued.  
"No! We are not thieves!" Sokka exclaimed.  
"I know stealing is wrong…but I'm really hungry Sokka…" Aang trailed.  
"We're not thieves!" Sokka cried, but he was drowned out by an elderly woman.  
"You will not go out there today! There is a very, very bad storm coming, the worst of the decade! I can feel it in my bones!" she scolded an elderly man; probably her husband.  
"There is not a cloud in the sky woman!" the man countered.  
"I feel it in my bones, there is a storm coming!" the woman repeated.  
"I am going, and you can't stop me!"  
"Fine, but I'm not going with you, good luck finding help!"  
Sokka perked up, and ran over to the old man. "I'll help you!"  
The man shot a triumphant glare in his wife's direction. "You're hired!"  
"Hey, I'm not gonna let Sokka take all the credit for bringing coin in," Jet said before running over. "I'll help too!"  
The man grumbled to himself. "I don't want to pay more than one person…"  
"Take him! You're gonna need all the help you get in this storm!" his wife called as she started walking away, probably back home.  
"The sky is clear!"  
"My bones!"  
"Stupid woman," he muttered to himself before turning to Jet. "You're hired too then!"

A while later as Sokka and Jet are helping the old man prepare his boat to head out to sea storm clouds begin to form in the sky over the sea.  
"Maybe the old quack was right guys. Perhaps you shouldn't go out on the sea today," Jojo suggested.  
"What? Are you worried about me?" Jet asked, looking up from his work.  
"No. Just explaining a death tends to be difficult and time-consuming," Jojo fluttered her eyelashes, innocently.  
The old man smacked Jet upon the side of his head, "Back to work!" in which he was obedient. Then the man turned to Aang. "Take this as an educated guess, but are you the Avatar sonny?"  
Aang nodded. "Why yes I am!"  
"Huh. What a great Avatar; turning his back on the world and letting it all go to hell."  
"Hey! It's not his fault! He was frozen in an ice berg for 100 years!" Sokka called.  
The old man hit him on the head too. "Was I talking to you? Back to work!"  
Aang, now upset, leapt on his glider and took to the skies.  
"Oh Jeez," Jojo sighed. "I guess I'll go get him. You guys just…go storm-fishing or whatever," she told the males before earth bending herself into the air.

***Katara***

Storm clouds gathered out on the ocean, where the ship was. The lieutenant and some other members of the crew waited for when Zuko walked back on deck.  
"You're uncle was correct, Prince Zuko," the lieutenant stated.  
Zuko scolded the lieutenant for his disrespect, which I thought was unfair.  
The lieutenant scoffed. "You know nothing about respect." I also thought this was unfair, extremely so. Zuko was a very respectful person.  
Iroh walked up between the two testosterone-fueled men and broke up the conflict with a few, short, simple words. Zuko and the lieutenant storm, no pun intended, off in opposite directions.  
It soon began to rain, getting heavier and colder by what felt like the second.

***Iroh***

The lieutenant and a few other men sat in the boiler room, talking. "I quickly grow weary of this seemingly endless pursuit of the Avatar." The lieutenant yawned for effect.  
The other men agree, adding their own insight.  
Iroh walked up. "May I join in on the conversation, if you don't mind?"  
The lieutenant spread his arms out. "Join us."  
Iroh nodded. "Prince Zuko…he's young, a mere seventeen, but he's been through a whole hell a lot of turmoil in his short life…" Iroh began to tell the story.  
After listening, the men were stunned.  
"So Lady Ursa got banished for helping little Miss Katara…"  
"Princess Azula pressured her brother into fighting her and then ruthlessly, mercilessly gave him that scar..."  
"What a little devil."  
"Poor Prince Zuko…I never thought…"  
"We never suspected…"  
"Of course you never did." Iroh said. "No one does. And now Zuko seeks to gain the loving approval of his father by capturing the Avatar. I doubt this will happen, his father will never really love Zuko, especially when compared to his daughter, but it still gives Zuko hope. 'The Avatar brings hope to people who have none'…" Iroh quoted an old saying.

To escape the rain Aang and Jojo found a cave, in which Jojo managed to strike up a fire, at the same time as attempting to reassure Aang about what the old man said.  
"Aang, he's old. He's probably half off his old rocker anyway, don't worry about it." She patted him on the pale, arrowed, bald head.  
Aang chuckled a little, which was progress. "Yeah, I know, but it's just that, back when I was a kid—" Jojo interrupted him.  
"Aang. Save it for someone else, I don't want to hear nostalgic tales."  
"What else are you going to do? We're stuck in here until the storm blows over."  
Jojo sighed and waved her arm, telling Aang to go on.

Jojo was only half listening, playing with a few pebbles in her hand, but she admitted, Aang's life at the Southern Air Temple wasn't all fun and games. It wasn't nowhere near as bad as a child living through a period of war, but it still wasn't great. And to have all that responsibility thrown on your shoulders…at twelve years old!  
Jojo shook her head and all of a sudden Aang jumped up, upset, and air bending, blowing the fire out, extinguishing it completely.  
Jojo jumped up. "Aang! It took me forever to light that! Seriously Aang, blowing out my hard work is not going to change your past."  
"Why can't I?" an angry Aang spat.  
Jojo spoke as she worked at relighting the fire. "Aang, no one can change the past. All we can do is work at making the present, and future, better."  
Jojo finally lit the fire. Aang sighed. "I guess you're right."  
The old lady from before, the fisherman's wife, ran into the cave, breathless. "The storm! It has turned into a typhoon! Please, you have to help them, you have to!"  
Aang and Jojo nod and they rush out; Aang on his glider and Jojo on Appa.

***Katara***

I peeked into Zuko's bedroom and saw him meditating, his face looking very nostalgic. I walked over to him quietly and sat down next to him, placing a gentle, comforting hand on his shoulder. His tense body slowly began to ease up…just to tense back up when a lightning bolt hits the side of the ship, jolting the whole thing. We rushed out onto the deck. The crew is utter terrified. I tried to help by bending a rain-shield over the ship so the men didn't get wet—but I couldn't stop the whole storm.  
Zuko and the lieutenant rushed to a ladder to go help the helmsman who is dangerously hanging above from a bar that Iroh pointed out just before he was struck by lightning.  
I shrieked, but Iroh was actually able to control it and discharged it out into the sea, making a weird motion where his hands passed by his stomach, nowhere near his chest. My jaw dropped a little. Fire benders could bend lightning?  
The helmsman lost his grip, but as he fell to his death Zuko somehow caught him and lowered him down to the lieutenant—and they exchange smiles.  
The lieutenant pointed at something out at sea and both Zuko and I turned to look. It was Appa! Aang and…an unfamiliar girl with wet, black hair sticking to pale skin rode the bison. "What should we do sir? Should we go after him?"  
Zuko shook his head. "Let him go. We need to get to safety."  
The lieutenant nodded.  
"We need to get to the eye of the storm," Iroh stated, obviously still recovering from his quick bending of lightning.  
Without hesitation, the crew worked on getting the ship to the eye quickly. When there, Zuko apologized for his behavior and Iroh accepted it with a smile.  
I hoped Sokka was okay…was he out in this storm?  
Zuko turned to me. "Katara, are you all right over there?"  
Before I can answer Appa, with Aang, Sokka, the girl, and this cute boy suddenly emerged out of water in front of the ship. Amber eyes meet grey ones for a brief moment before Appa flew away. "Yeah, I'm fine," I told Zuko, who was scarcely paying attention now.

After returning to the cave to wait out the storm the fisherman's wife brusquely told her husband to apologize to Aang about his comment earlier.  
He turned to Aang. "How about I just give you a free fish and we call it even?"  
"I don't eat meat," Aang informed him.  
The fisherman laughed. "Fish ain't meat."  
Sokka and Jet weren't amused, and looked at the man expectantly, wanting their pay. The man dropped two raw fish in their hands as payment.  
"…I guess we did plan to buy food with our pay…" Jet trailed, still somewhat disappointed.  
Sokka was stunned.  
"Well, anyway, kid," the fisherman turned back to Aang. "Thanks for saving me life."  
Aang shrugged. "No problem; that is my job."  
Sokka looked outside. "Hey, it stopped raining!"  
Everybody exits the cave, just to get drenched by Appa shaking his fur out.


	11. Chapter 11

**And the romance is finally beginning. I really don't like writing romance that much, but I like this AU plotline, and Zutara. :P  
This chapter doesn't focus much on the Blue Spirit or Fortuneteller episodes, because, it's not too necessary. We've all seen the show. I did what was neccessary from the Blue Spirit and did some of the Fortuneteller for comical relief. :L And Bato of the Water Tribe...well, that was an important episode, and it's important here as well, though differently.  
Also, I incorporated a Doctor Who reference into this. :3 It's subtle, but a true Whovian would find it. :') **

**Writerswand  
Boiling Water  
****_The Blue Spirit_****  
****_The Fortune Teller_****  
****_Bato of the Water Tribe_****  
Chapter 11  
Different Kinds of Love**

***Katara***

I was sitting on a stool drinking tea and watching Iroh and some crew members play Pai Sho. You would think I would understand how to play by now. I still don't quite get it. Iroh says it's an easy game to learn, but a very difficult game to master. I could see that.  
Zuko seemed troubled, but before I could ask him what was wrong a Fire Nation ship pulled up alongside ours and a few Fire Nation officials boarded ours, over a plank.  
Zuko gritted his teeth together. "What do you want?"  
"All information concerning the whereabouts of the Avatar must be surrendered at once to the knowledge of Admiral Zhou," they ordered.  
"Monkey-face man?" I asked for clarification.  
"Shh…" Iroh shushed me, but nodded, with a small smirk on his face.  
"Admiral?" mused the lieutenant. "Someone's been busy."  
"An admiral…well that's news. Isn't Zhou fairly young still?" One soldier asked.  
"About forty-something, I think," Another soldier answered him.  
"Ah, I guess that makes sense then."  
Zuko scowled. "We have nothing on the Avatar, now get off my ship!" he demanded.

A while after the officials left I sat on the side of the ship, swinging my legs back and forth, as I watched Zuko with concern. He's been doing fast-paced fire bending practice on deck for hours. I would say something to him and he would respond with a short remark. I didn't like it.  
Iroh approached him, concerned as well. "Nephew, the crew hasn't been giving an order for a long time."  
"I don't care!" Zuko cried, bitterly, as he punched a blast of fire out over the sea.  
"Zuko, despite the fact that Zhou has more resources at his command as a result of his promotion, it's still possible to capture the Avatar before him," Iroh attempted to reassure Zuko.  
Zuko just shook his head.

The next morning Zuko boarded the ship, after a whole night of absence. Naturally, I was worried and confused.  
"Zuko, you missed music night!" Iroh informed on seeing him.  
"You should've have been there; it actually was rather amusing. You should've heard Iroh singing," I said, grinning.  
Iroh turned his head to look at me. "I don't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment, Miss Katara."  
"Don't worry about it."  
"I'm going to bed," Zuko told us before turning to walk below deck. He stopped. "And I do not want to be disturbed."  
About five minutes later I stood up.  
Iroh looked up. "Where are you headed? Your tea's not finished yet!"  
"I'm going to go see Zuko," I told him.  
"But he requested not to be disturbed!"  
"That doesn't apply to me."

I opened Zuko's door a crack and peeked my head through to see Zuko lying on his bed and staring up at a red and orange, flame-embroidered Fire Nation tapestry in his room.  
He rolled over and closed his eyes. "That applies to you too, Katara."  
Ignoring him, I enter the room, softly closing the door behind me, and walk over to his bed, before sitting down gently on it. "You've been avoiding me the last couple of days; is something wrong? Did I do something to upset you?"  
Zuko shook his head. "No Katara."  
"Where were you then, last night?"  
"Out."  
"Where? With who? …Or were you alone?"  
"I'm allowed to have my secrets Katara. You surely had yours. Now please, 'Tara, I want to get to sleep."  
I frowned, but nodded and let him be.

**The Fortuneteller**

"I can't believe we're going to see some wacked fortuneteller lady because some insanely calm man who almost got killed by a platypus-bear told us to," Sokka complained, holding his platypus-bear egg.  
"It could be fun," Aang beamed.  
"I agree, and those kind of gypsy-ladies always make me laugh," Jet chuckled.  
"I'm just going because she probably has a lot of riches and jewelry and stuff I can steal," Jojo shrugged, tossing her hair off her shoulders.  
Sokka sighed as they crossed over into the town.

When they arrived at Aunt Wu's fortunetelling shop naturally, Aang walked in first, and nearly walked into a small girl with dark hair bound up in a bizarre fashion.  
She smiled up at Aang, dazed. "Whoa, you have big ears."  
"Uh…thanks?" Aang scratched the back of his head.  
Jojo poked Aang. "Hey, move, you're blocking the entrance."  
"Oh, my bad." Aang scooted out of the way and the rest of the group walked in.  
Jet looked around. It was a small shop, but it was nice and cozy, with thin, painted walls, and interestingly designed tapestries hanging from them. "We gonna get any hospitality here?"  
The girl shook her head, coming back to her senses. "I apologize." She smiled. "I'm Meng. You may make yourself comfortable and I'll go get some snacks whilst you wait for Aunt Wu." She nodded her head over to some cushions on the floor, which the group headed to.  
Just as Meng was about to turn into a hallway a woman emerged, nearly bumping into her. "Oh, Meng!" the lady exclaimed. They had a quick, quiet conversation, which ended in Meng gazing dreamily over at Aang. "I wish my true love would give me a rare flower."  
When Meng and the woman left Jojo nudged Aang in the side. "Hey, I think someone likes you," Jojo grinned, teasing Aang.  
"Huh?" Aang asked, confused.  
Jojo rolled her eyes, and turned her attention to an elderly woman, who had just entered the room. She was fairly tall, had her grey hair in an interesting up-do, and wore a lot of make-up.  
"Greetings, children. I am Aunt Wu, whose fortune may I be telling first?" she asked.  
Jojo jumped up without looking at the guys. "Me."  
Aunt Wu studied her for a moment. "Oh, just to let you know, this place is free of charge." She smiled. "So, there shouldn't be much here for you to steal."  
Jojo looked disappointed for a mere moment before catching on. "Wait, what?"  
"I'm a fortuneteller dear."  
"Oh…"  
"And that poster on the wall tells a lot."  
Jojo looked over and saw a Wanted poster of her hanging on the wall by a tapestry. She shifted her feet uncomfortably, wondering when to make a break for the door.  
Aunt Wu laughed. "Don't worry my child, you're safe here. Now, come, let me tell you your fortune." She led Jojo into a back room.  
After seated, Aunt Wu took Jojo's right hand in hers. "Your hands…you must have a hard life."  
"That's not fortunetelling. That's just observation."  
Aunt Wu laughed. "The two come hand in hand my dear." She continued, tracing her index finger along one of the lines on Jojo's palm. "You will live a long life…"  
"Well that's good, considering how many times I could be killed each day," Jojo laughed.  
Aunt Wu ignored her and continued. "You will not get married."  
"That's good, I never wanted to anyways."  
"And you will have one child."  
"Well that's not so good. I hate children."  
"Hmm…" Aunt Wu stared at Jojo's palm.  
"Are we done now? May I leave?"  
Aunt Wu shrugged. "If you like."  
Jojo walked back into the front room, and sat down onto a cushion next to Sokka, who was stuffing his face. "How was it?" he asked, his mouth full.  
"All right, kind of silly," Jojo told him.  
"Told you!" Sokka swallowed as Aunt Wu walked in. He stood up and stretched his arms. "I guess I'll go now."  
"You will face many hardships, though most will be self-inflicted," Aunt Wu predicted.  
A stupefied look crosses Sokka's face. "You didn't even read his palms or anything!"  
Aunt Wu shrugged. "I don't have to; it's written all over your face."  
Sokka plopped back down on the cushion, crossed his arms over his chest, and grumbled to himself. Aunt Wu looked over at Jet. "How about this handsome boy over here?"  
Jet yawned. "Nah, I'm good."  
"You sure?" Aunt Wu smiled.  
"Yup. I'd rather keep my life open to mystery and suspense."  
Aunt Wu nodded and beckoned Aang to follow her into the backroom, for his fortune.

**Bato of the Water Tribe**

"Hey, Sokka! I found something!" Aang called to his friend, looking at a Water Tribe-styled sword lying in the grass.  
Sokka ran over and knelt down, running his hand over the hilt and flat side of the blade, his face going nostalgic for a moment. After a moment, he came to. "Check the surroundings for anything else," he anxiously requested Aang, doing so himself.  
Whilst the boys were scampering around in the bushes Jet and Jojo walked up. "Have you lost something?" Jojo asked.  
"Probably Sokka's brains, they're so tiny they're hard to see," Jet joked.  
"Actually, we found something," Aang informed them.  
Usually, Sokka would have retorted against Jet's comment, but he found something. He knelt on the ground, holding a broken, blackened arrow. "It's burnt," he notes.  
"We can see that dimwit." Jet smirked. Sokka ignored him and ran over to a tree that had burn and scratch marks. He ran his hand over the bark. "There was a battle here." Following the trail in which the battle took place he spoke, explaining to the group. "A group of Water Tribe warriors ambushed some fire benders. The fire benders tried to retaliate…but the Water Tribe warriors pushed them back." They came to a beach and Sokka ran out a few feet into the sand. "The trail stops cold here."  
Jet pointed to the right, rolling his eyes. "I don't know, but I think a Water Tribe-styled boat is a big clue."  
The group glanced over and Sokka ran over to the boat, examining it. "This was from my dad's fleet …My dad was here."

***Katara***

Zuko, Iroh, and I were sitting in a room enjoying a cup of tea.  
"See Prince Zuko? A moment of quiet is good for your mental wellbeing," Iroh smiled.  
I drained my tea cup and Iroh promptly refilled it. I like tea.  
Zuko smiled in return and my heart fluttered; a strange sensation. He lifted his cup to his lips when suddenly a large boom sounded and the entire ship shook; splashing our tea all over us; particularly Zuko, his black hair falling into his face. Zuko scowled.  
I jumped up. "I got this!" I bended the delicious liquid back into their respective cups.  
Zuko gave me a curt nod, before we ran out on deck. "Thanks."

Outside, a huge, brown, furry unfamiliar-looking creature sniffed around the deck. Riding it was a tall, pale skinned, dark haired, dark eyed, woman dressed in all black. She was rather pretty, if you liked that kind of look. Iroh certainly did.  
The crew members all retreated in fear.  
"Get back! I'm looking for a stowaway!" the woman shouted.  
"There are no stowaways on my ship!" Zuko shouted back, angrily.  
Ignoring Zuko, the creature tore off a large chunk of the ship and tossed it away, causing us all to duck as to not be decapitated by the flying chunk of metal.  
The creature stuck its head into the hole it made and sniffed around. It seemed to track smells. It stopped at a barrel, which it knocked over, and a man come scrambling out of it.  
He rushed out of the hole the creature made and tried to run for it. The creature ran after him, and shot its long, pink, barbed tongue out at him. When the tongue hit the guy, he fell down to the ground, paralyzed.  
The woman hopped down from the creature, picked up the guy, and slung him over her shoulder. "Only temporarily. The toxins will wear off in an hour. But by that time, the man will be in jail and I will have my money." She smiled at Zuko.  
"How did you find him on my ship?" Zuko asked.  
"The creature has an extraordinary sense of smell, right?" I asked.  
"Indeed, shirshus smell better than any other creature on this planet. Bright girl you've got there." She patted her…pet on the back. "Nyla, my shirshu, can smell a rat a continent away." She jumped on it and rode away off the ship.  
"Well, I'm impressed…very impressed," Iroh said as he watched her ride away.  
Zuko shot him a look.  
~

That night, the group camped out next to the Water Tribe boat. Sokka took first watch, not being able to go to sleep with all these thoughts scattering around in his head. He poked the fire with a stick as the thought about his past.  
When he was young, and the men of the tribe were leaving to go join the war, Sokka had wanted to go too. His father said he was too young, Sokka argued, but of course, his father won. Sokka needed to stay and protect his family; his mother, Gran-Gran, sister, Katara. Sokka grumbled to himself. And he did such a fine job at that. He failed. His mother was dead and his sister was with the enemy. He failed his father, his sister, everyone.  
Sokka was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard a noise. He jumped up, boomerang in hand. "Who goes there?" he demanded to know.  
A man, obviously from the Southern Water Tribe, walked toward them. "Sokka?"  
Sokka faltered for a moment. "Bato?"  
Bato walked into the firelight and Sokka's blue eyes widened. "Bato!" He ran over to the mean and enveloped him in a huge bear hug.  
"Oof, not too hard son, still healing here," but Bato hugged him in return.  
Sokka backed up, noticing that his dad's friend was bandaged up. He opened his mouth to ask about it but the rest of the group must've woken.  
"Who's this?" Jojo asked, yawning.  
Sokka smiled. "My dad's friend; Bato." He turned to the older man. "This is—"  
"I know who the young lady and bald kid are. They're faces are around everywhere. This is the Avatar and the Kissing Bandit in the flesh."  
"I'd prefer Aang," Aang grinned.  
"And Jojo," Jojo gave a polite nod to the man. "And if you turn me in for gold…well, you won't even be able to, you're get what's coming to you first," she smiled sweetly at him.  
Bato laughed. "Wouldn't even think about it." He turned to Jet. "Now who's this?"  
"Jet, ex-leader of the Freedom Fighters, if you've heard of us, that is, you may not have," Jet introduced himself.  
"Actually," Bato began. "I have. Your group has really been making a name for themselves as of recently. Helping the war effort by a lot, if I may say."  
Jet's eyes widened. "Really?" He smiled. "Thattagirl, Smellerbee."  
Sokka changed the subject. "Where's dad? Is he here?" He asked looking around.  
Bato shook his head. "No, your father and the others should be in the Eastern Earth Kingdom by now." A cold wind blew by and the group shivered. "We should go inside. Come." He led them off down the beach.

They headed into an abbey. Bato told them that after he was wounded, Sokka's father brought him to the abbey and that the sisters had cared for him ever since. Bato called over one of the sisters and tells her that Sokka are Hakoda's children and that he, and two others who he leaves unnamed, are travelling with the Avatar, and that he found them by his boat.  
The sister smiled at Aang. "It is wonderful to be in your presence."  
"Thank you," Aang replied, smiling back.  
Almost giving Aang no time to reply, Sokka spoke, asking Bato a question. "What smells so good in here?"  
Bato laughed. "That has to be the ointments and perfumes that the sisters make."  
"Well then, we should dump some on Appa…because he stinks so much…am I right? Am I?"  
Jet coughed.  
"You have your father's wit," Bato says in a very dry, non-complimentary tone. He turned to the rest of the group. "Come, I'll show you where I've been living."  
He led them to a room. "It looks just like home," Sokka noted, smiling.  
On one side of the room was a tent, and the floor is covered in pelts, as were the walls, giving the room an oxymoronic barbaric-but-warm feel. There was also a fire in the middle of the room with a pot sitting over it.  
Aang made a comment about the dead animal skins, but no one paid attention to him.  
Sokka sniffed the air, before grinning. "Is that stewed sea prunes I smell?"  
"Help yourselves," Bato smiled.  
The group, starving, did not hesitate to do as he said. Though, Aang was repulsed by the smell.  
Sokka, whilst stuffing his face, spoke. "Dad could eat a barrel of these."  
Sokka and Bato spoke whilst eating and every time Aang tried to get into the conversation they ignored him.  
"Hey, Aang, come over here and sit with us," Jet called from the other side of the room.  
Aang obliged and went over to sit next to Jojo and Jet.  
"Sokka hasn't seen Bato in forever it seems, and he must remind him of his dad. Let them have some time," Jojo smiled, taking a bite of her stewed sea prunes.  
Aang nodded, now understanding, as the three struck up a conversation.  
Back on the other side of the room Sokka and Bato are still talking.  
Bato lowered his voice. "By the way, Sokka, have you heard the rumor of a water bender in the Fire Nation's ranks?"  
Sokka blinked. "What?"  
"Well, not exactly in the battlefield fighting us, but she aids the Fire Nation's Prince in trying to capture the Avatar. She is said to dress like a Fire Nation woman and everything." Bato explained.  
Sokka swallowed and his eyes flickered around. "That's my sister." He whispered faintly.  
"That's Katara?!" Bato exclaimed, eyes wide.  
They quickly looked over at the three others, and found them laughing loudly, not having heard, as Jet told a joke. Sokka turned back to Bato and nodded.  
"Little Katara…" Bato trailed off, wistfully.  
"Not quite so little anymore," Sokka said, miserably.  
"Nope, she has grown into quite the young woman." Bato frowned. "Do you blame yourself for this, by any chance?" He asked, softly.  
"Of course I do," Sokka said bitterly. "I failed dad. I told him I'd protect her. I failed _her_."  
Bato placed a hand on Sokka's arm. "I'm sure you tried as best as you could Sokka, but you were young. It's not your fault. Have you ever thought about going to rescue her?"  
"Every day."  
"Well make thoughts into actions someday. Besides," Bato smirked.  
"What?" Sokka asked.  
"Once, when your dad and I were on an espionage mission, years ago, we overheard a general boasting about a 'brilliant' plan of his that the Firelord liked; a plan to brainwash a small water bender child into helping them; a tactic that could be used to confuse the enemy. However, considering as she's with the Prince in his quest, that must not have gone as according to plan," Bato explained, chuckling.  
Sokka chuckled a little, but still seemed rather miserable. Bato frowned. How to cheer him up…oh! "Hey, Sokka, I've received a message earlier today from your father; I've been expecting as such, they said they would send me notice when they found the rendezvous point. If you want, you can come with me to see your father." He pulled the letter and map out of his shirt's pocket.  
Sokka looked up, eyes bright, a small grin on his face. "That's great!" Then his face fell. "Oh…but…I promised I'd take the Avatar to the North Pole first, and we don't have time to take a long detour."  
"Doesn't Aang have two other people that he can go with?"  
"Well…yeah. But, I also kind of like…" Sokka blushed a little.  
"You like the Kissing Bandit girl, don't you?" Bato asked teasingly, smiling.  
Sokka blushed furiously.  
Bato laughed and patted Sokka on the shoulder. "'Tis all right son. When I was your age, I had multiple crushes on pretty girls like her. By the way, I've already studied these a dozen times today; take them if you ever want to find your father later." Bato handed Sokka the letter and map. Sokka took them, grateful and smiling.  
From across the room Aang smiled.

***Katara***

Zuko, Iroh, and I were about to walk into a tavern when a man was thrown out of the building from the second floor. Zuko quickly pulled me out of the way before he landed on top of me. I mumbled a quick 'thank you' and we enter the chaotic building.  
Inside, the woman from before was arm wrestling with this huge, muscular guy. The guy seemed to be straining himself, which I found kind of pathetic when looking at the woman. A whole bunch of people, mostly men, were standing around, watching, and shouting. Zuko pushed his way through the crowd, Iroh and I behind him. I mumbled little 'pardon me's' and 'excuse me's' for Zuko as he was being brusque and offending unpredictable drunkards.  
"I need to talk to you!" Zuko demanded of the woman.  
"Well if it isn't my old friends - Angry Boy, Girly, and Uncle Lazy." She then pounded the guy's hand onto the table and everyone in the bar started cheering. People start throwing money at Jun and she starts collecting it into a big pile.  
"Girly?" I question her nickname choice for me, confused.  
"Your beast trashed my ship and I'm demanding you pay me back for the damages," Zuko ordered her.  
While gathering the money in her arms, she spoke. "I'd love to help you out, but I'm a little short on money." She threw her head back. "Drinks on me!" She shouted and everyone in the bar cheered.  
I coughed. "Short on money, yeah, sure."  
As she was bringing a drink to her lips, Zuko grabbed her wrist and told her money wasn't what he had in mind.

Outside the bar, Zuko told the woman, who we found out was called June, that he needed her to find someone; the Avatar. Though, he didn't tell her that it was the Avatar specifically he was after, of course.  
"I can't do anything if you don't have something of theirs for Nyla to be able to track them with," June sighed, bored.  
"Would her blood work?" Zuko asked, nodded over to me.  
"My what?" I asked, my voice a couple octaves higher.  
June thought on this, before shrugging. "It should. Nyla has a really powerful sniffer. But may I ask why you're after one of her relatives?"  
"We're not. Her brother's just traveling with the bald monk I'm after. "Do it and consider the ship paid for."  
June shot me a confused look. "And you aren't with your brother why…?"  
"It's complicated." I quickly told her. I turned to Zuko. "Why didn't you tell me beforehand that you wanted to use _my blood_?"  
"I thought you'd refuse…and I…I need to find the Avatar…" Zuko trailed.  
Before I could retort June began climb onto her shirshu. "Forget it."  
Iroh stepped up and told her they'll pay her in her weight in gold.  
June turned toward him. "Make it your weight and we have a deal."  
Iroh laughed. "You got it!"  
June walked over to me and pulled out a knife before roughly grabbing my arm. She pulled up my sleeve and I jerked.  
"Hey! What do you think—!" I let out a cry as she pierces my skin, drawing blood in a long, ragged cut.  
"If you didn't move it wouldn't be that bad." June wiped the knife on a cloth before sheathing it.  
Zuko scowled. "You didn't have to get the blood like that."  
June rolled her eyes. "Just get on the shirshu," she tells us as she held the bloody cloth in front of the shirshu's nose. She sniffed it and then sniffed around for the scent's trail. June hopped on and the shirshu sped off.

***Zuko***

I sat behind Katara, who was behind June, practically on me, and Uncle sat behind me. Damn, this creature was big. Katara held her bleeding arm in her other hand. Slowly, miraculously, I watched as her arm glowed, the blood dried up, and the cut closed, leaving no mark on her tanned skin and just water.  
My eyes widened. "How did you do that?" I asked her.  
"I…I don't know," she told me, honestly.  
Iroh looked over my shoulder. "You have great healing abilities. That is a great gift, my girl. Quite the opposite of fire bending…which is, as an old friend once told me, a curse; where there's a thin line between humanity and savagery."  
Katara nodded, deeply interested.  
I was confused. "Katara, where did you get water?"  
Katara spat off the side of the shirshu.  
Oh. "Pleasant."

***Katara***

We rode for a long time on the shirshu, and it started to get uncomfortable, but the proximity toward Zuko was nice. We rampaged through a lot of different places, all of which I assumed Sokka had been, if I had not. Most of the places weren't too interesting, except for this once town, which had a fortuneteller. I wanted to stay, I love supernatural, destiny, stuff like that, but we were on a tight schedule. So we rode on.  
~

The four kids and Bato were walking along the beach, talking and laughing.  
"Hey, Sokka, I bet you have great stories from your first time ice dodging," Bato smiled.  
Sokka fell silent for a moment. "No…dad left when I was too young for it…"  
"Oh, right, of course." Bato frowned.  
"What's ice dodging?" Aang asked.  
"This is just a hunch, but, dodging ice?" Jet asked, smirking at his own joke.  
Bato started to explain but seeing the look on Sokka's face he decided against it. "I'll show you."  
"…But there's no ice around here," Jojo noted as they walked over to Bato's boat.  
"Ice, rocks, what's the difference?"  
"A lot," Jojo mumbled.  
"Not when it comes to ice dodging…or in this case, rock dodging."

***Jojo***

Jet stayed on the beach, not wanting to be a part of "a silly Water Tribe sport" with a "blunder head" like Sokka, but the rest of the group was on the boat with Sokka as he 'ice' dodged for the first time. He was doing really well, when they came upon a part of the sea with so many rocks jetting out of the water and no way out. The boat was going fast.  
Bato, worried for our safety, spoke anxiously. "Sokka turn back, you've proved yourself!"  
Sokka shook his head. "No, I can do this. I will do this. Aang, can you blow some wind into the sails to make us go faster? And if you can as well bend some water to help push us over the rocks. Jojo—help Aang."  
Aang nodded and got to it. I, however, did not.  
"How am I supposed to do that? I'm no water or air bender!" I snapped.  
"Earth bend the rocks down farther into the sea or something! You're creative!" Sokka exclaimed, hysterical, as we all approached the rocks rapidly.  
I spun around and got into a firm, earth bending stance with my legs spread apart and started punching toward the rocks, making them shatter and clearing a path for us.  
We came through on a large wave conjured up by Aang—damn, those 'teach myself water bending' lessons with that scroll must really be working—all safe and sound.  
Sokka, grinning wide, brought us into shore, where Bato congratulated us all, though, most of all Sokka, of course.

We began returning to the Abbey. Bato needed to pack up to begin meeting up with Sokka's father and "the others" and we needed to continue on to the North Pole. We wasted enough time as it is already. I forgot how I got strung up in all of this. Right. I was running away from the Fire Nation. Meh.  
When we reached the Abbey Sokka said his goodbyes to Bato, they hugged, and he left; a sad moment, I guess. Just as we were about to leave a huge, brown beast broke through a wall of the Abbey and began rampaging through the place, riding on it was a tall, familiar looking lady, the Fire Nation Prince, Zuko, his girl, the Fire Nation's water bender, and an old man; the general who overtook Ba Sing Se years ago, I think. Oh wait! I know that thing! I knew I knew that lady from somewhere. She got that monster, a shirshu, from the underground black market trade. I know all about that of course, being a famous, earth bending bandit and all.  
"Guys! Stay away from that thing's tongue! It'll—"

***Katara***

The shirshu's tongue whipped out of its mouth, hitting a black haired girl and a dark haired boy; both Earth Nation, and the Avatar's new companions, as it seemed. They fell to the ground, paralyzed, despite the girl's attempted warning.  
"After the boy who smells like the wind, girl!" June coasted her pet.  
Aang took to sky on his glider and Nyla started prancing in circles, before jumping toward the sky, causing all of us to fall off of her backwards Stupid beast.  
Someone helped me up, and I figured it was Zuko, until I saw blue cloth. "Sokka? Sokka, what are you doing?" I asked him, trying to pull away.  
"Come with me; please 'Tara," he said, bringing me to the back of the Abbey, protected by the shadows and physical barriers from the shirshu's rampage and Zuko and Aang's concurrent fight. We knelt down on the ground and he looked at me, speechless for a moment.  
Without hesitation I hugged him, tight, like I had wanted to do for months now.

***Jojo***

As Zuko and Aang fought Jet and I could do little but watch. They jumped over rooftops blasting fire and air at each other, Aang mostly on the defensive, the prince on the offensive. The lady I black lashed at her beast with her whip to get it under control and hopped back on her, to try to help and paralyze Aang. However, Aang was way too fast.  
A few sisters ran toward us and put perfumes to our noses. It was a strong smell, and we were freed from our paralysis.  
We nodded our thanks and jumped up. We looked at the big pots and exchanged glances; the same thought running through our heads.  
Jet ran to the pots and I earth bended, hitting the beast with a large chunk of stone. I jumped up, dodging its barbed tongue and it charged at me. I ran over to the pots and it followed me. When I ran past the pots Jet pushed them over—spilling the perfume over the shirshu.  
The thing spasmed, not being able to smell, and as it was blind, didn't know what it was doing. It roared about, knocking the lady off of it, and started lashing its tongue about, hitting everyone present who didn't dodge in time.

***Katara***

Sokka hugged me back, and after a few painfully short moments we pulled apart. Sokka pulled a blue, Water Tribe-styled necklace out of his pocket. "I found this outside that mine…"  
I gasped. "Mom's necklace!"  
Sokka nodded, as he handed it back to me. "Katara, come with us. We could use you. Aang needs a water bending teacher. We're headed to the North Pole for one, if you come with us, we can go and you can become an even better water bender than you already are; trained by actual water benders. You can be with your family…and make new, better friends too."  
I held Sokka's hands, the same color as me, in mine. "Sokka, I can't…I couldn't."  
"Why?" Sokka asked.  
"I…Zuko…Iroh, even…"  
"Katara, they're Fire Nation! I'm your _family_! And the Avatar…you would refuse to help the Avatar _save the world_?"  
"Not all Fire Nation citizens are bad! The Fire Lord's wife for instance, she was like mom…she helped me. Before Ozai banished her."  
"Don't compare the Fire Lady to our mom!"  
"Sokka, listen to me! She was good! Like her son, and his uncle, the Fire Lord's brother! They're all good, and I'm sure there's other people like that too!"  
"If they're so good, why are they trying to capture the Avatar?"  
"Iroh's just there because Zuko's his nephew and he cares for him. Zuko…he's misguided. He needs me Sokka."  
"We need you Katara! I need you."  
"Sokka…"  
"I promised dad I would protect you Katara."  
I handed the necklace back to Sokka. "Keep it Sokka. And remember me." I began to stand.  
"I don't want to remember you! I want you with me!" Sokka's blue eyes were rimmed with tears.  
"I will be with you. Right here." I touched his chest where his heart would be.  
I stood up and began walking away.  
"Katara he's not your family."  
I paused for a moment. "But I love him Sokka."


	12. Chapter 12

**Whoop! I'm on a roll here! ...Though, the last final episodes of Book 1 may take some time though :S Especially considering that tomorrow (...today now) I have DnD, and Saturday I have DnD AND the newest episode of Doctor Who to watch, leaving no massive amounts time to write. D: And Sunday is the last day of Spring Break/Easter Holidays! D: D: D:**

**Writerswand's  
Boiling Water  
****_The Deserter_****  
****_The Northern Air Temple_****  
Chapter 12  
Her Brother**

***Katara***

...Did I really just tell my brother I loved Zuko? Did I even love him? Sure—like a best friend, or a brother, like Sokka…but did I truly love him like _that_? Goodness, what must Sokka think of me? Nothing good, I would think. I sighed, shaking my head, and ran over to where Zuko, Iroh, and June lay on the ground, paralyzed. Nyla lay on the ground, subdued by large rocks placed on her paws. She whimpered softly and I almost felt sorry for her. June seemed knocked out for the moment.  
Zuko looked over at Iroh, who held June in a promising position. "Iroh, I didn't see you get hit by the tongue?"  
Iroh raised his index finger to his mouth. "Shh…" He laid his arm back down and pretended to be unconscious.  
June came to a moment later and glared at Iroh, paralyzed still.  
I ran over to the Abbey sisters and politely asked for something to cure paralysis; those two friends of Sokka had to get un-paralyzed somehow right? Or else they couldn't have gotten on Appa and flown away with Aang.  
The sisters were reluctant to help us, but I convinced them to and ran back to Zuko and June, putting the perfume under their noses.  
June jumped up, slapped Iroh, who had stood up, across the face hard, hopped on Nyla, and promptly rode off without a word. Well, someone didn't seem to care about her pay anymore.  
Iroh blinked, rubbing his cheek. "What did I do?"  
Zuko rolled his eyes. "Come on! We have to follow the Avatar!"

***Sokka***

Did she really love that Fire Nation arse-of-a-prince? Just think; if they get married I'd have a fire bender for a brother-in-law! Agh, the thought! Maybe…maybe the Fire Lord really did brainwash her. No, I can't let this get any worse. If she won't come with me willingly I'll force her to. I'll kidnap her. Back. The next chance I get. She'll thank me, one day. Resting my elbows on my knees I put my face in my hands as we rode north on Appa. Aang was busy steering Appa, Momo on his shoulder. Jojo and Jet were busy talking and joking like always. No one would know if I was crying. No one would care.

**The Deserter **

***Sokka* **

A few days later we found ourselves outside a Fire Nation town. Honestly, I had no idea why we'd come here. Aang saw a poster for a Fire Festival and was excited and wanted to go. He's been to Fire Festivals before, though, that was a hundred years ago; they've probably changed. But there's no arguing with an excited Aang. Naturally, Jojo was all for it; whilst Aang was out having fun she could be robbing houses. I don't approve of this, but, unfortunately, once a bandit, always a bandit. Plus she's pretty and her charm level is unbelievably high…  
Jet refused to go to the festival. "No. I'm not going to a festival thrown by the Fire Nation. It's probably stupid and violent; like all fire benders."  
"Jet, I do believe you're stereotyping," I sighed.  
"Sokka, you know the cruelty of the Fire Nation! They destroyed your village and killed your people. Why are you defending them?"  
"I'm not Jet. I'm just saying—"  
"And they kidnapped and probably brainwashed your little sister Sokka! You should be agreeing with me, not making up excuses for the enemy."  
I was outraged. He has no right to bring up Katara. "Jet! Stop trying to get me angry! I have no love for fire benders, but I'm not going to unrealistically hate all of them either. For crying out loud, the women and children can't all be bad at least."  
Jet's eyes flashed. "Yes they can."  
"Jet, calm down," Jojo intervened.  
Jet snapped at her. "Why do you always take his side?"  
"I actually don't Jet, if you actually paid attention to anything. Just, right now you're acting like an absurd, angsty idiot, like you did when I first met you."  
Jet glared at her and firmly set his jaw. "I'm still not going."  
I rolled my eyes. "Good, we didn't want you there anyways."  
Jojo shook her head, smiling, and walked off. "I'll see you guys later."  
Jet spun around to face me, seething, but with a different kind of anger, this rage spawned more by jealously and rivalry than crazed hatred. "I don't need your input blunder-head. And it's not like it's going to be quality time with Jojo, as she's going to be out stealing."  
I frowned slightly. "I think I know that Jet."  
"Just making sure." He turned around and went to lean against a tree, sucking on a piece of wheat in his mouth.

So, I don't think I understood anything of what happened those two days. As disguises, Aang and I wore masks, but, alas, Aang managed to still get found out as being the Avatar, and we ended up in a high-speed chase away from fire nation soldiers.  
And that's how we ended up under the refuge of an ex-fire nation solider named Chey and famous-deserter Jeong Jeong.  
Aang managed to convince Jeong to teach him fire bending. He doesn't like it too much. And well, Jeong is an…interesting teacher.  
"You need to concentrate Aang. Take your friends for example. Jojo, when thieving, has to concentrate on that or get caught. Jet is concentrating on practicing with those weird weapons of his, and Sokka is concentrating on fishing. Fire bending takes a lot of concentration and control." That was one of his explanations. Deep, right? Yeah, he also had Aang do a bunch of these seemingly-pointless exercises, one being keeping a small ember within the confines of a leaf. Aang had to control his breathing to accomplish it. Jeong had to go take care of a Fire Nation soldier problem and I was fishing on the pond opposite where Aang was. Dunno about the rest of the group; doing something I suppose.  
Suddenly, the leaf burst into flame and Aang was able to control it. He flipped out, and started juggling it, showing off.  
"Aang; I would be careful if I were you!" I called over to him.  
He didn't appear to hear me and attempted to do something he saw a performer do at the festival last night, but failed immensely. He lost control and sent fire flying.  
There was a feminine scream and a rock wall shot up, blocking the fire. The pretty head of Jojo popped out from behind the rock. "Damn it Aang. Watch where you're aiming. You almost singed my face off."  
Aang's grey eyes were large and wide, as he nodded.  
Jeong Jeong appeared behind Jojo when she lowered her rock wall, arms crossed and a disapproving look on his face. Uh Oh. Aang was gonna get a bad scolding.

So, yeah. Not too much more to say. We left soon after. Apparently, this Fire Nation commander, Zhou, was an old student of Jeong Jeong who had no restraint and frankly was a horrible fire bender. Aang had a run-in with him before, and had a run-in with him again, where he totally embarrassed him, making him set his own fleet of ships on fire, or something.  
But anyway, once again, we began on our way north.

**The Northern Air Temple**

Aang, Jojo, Jet and I were sitting around a bright, warm campfire with some other Earth Kingdom people, while listening to a storyteller. We were far north and it was cold. I donned my warm parka and Jojo her cloak—Jet and Aang were sitting close to the fire, trying to keep warm. A storyteller spoke of the "Air walkers" who laugh at gravity, making Aang noticeably think of the Air benders.  
Afterwards, when the people began to scatter to go to their respective shelters to sleep, Aang approached the storyteller. "It must have been a hundred years ago that your great grandpa saw the Air benders, right?" he asked.  
"Nope," the storyteller gruffly pointed to a cheerful old man behind him. "That's my great grand pappy and he saw the Air walkers last week."  
Aang was surprised, to say the least.

"Aang we're wasting time. We have to get to the Northern Water Tribe. And it's COLD up here!" Jet complained.  
"Speak for yourself," I said smugly, snuggled up inside my parka, which unfairly resulted in me receiving a glare and a head-slap from both Jet and Jojo.  
We were riding Appa through a snowy mountain range above the clouds.  
"I need to see if the Northern air benders still exist," Aang persisted.  
We finally approached the Northern Air Temple, which had gliders zipping around it. Aang's eyes widened and the three non-air benders scurried over to the side of Appa, excited.  
But then, after a hard look, Aang sighed, disappointed. "These people are gliding, but by their rough movements you can tell they aren't actually air bending. They have no spirit."  
Just then, one cheerful boy on a glider swooped down close to them.  
"I don't know, but he seemed pretty 'spirited,'" Jet noted.  
He flied on ahead of Appa, and looked back at Aang as if challenging him. Aang smirked and took off on his glider after him. Meanwhile, other gliders started whizzing around Appa, forcing us to quickly land at the temple. Some of the kids outside the temple cheered on the boy, telling him to "show that bald kid how it's done!"  
I scoffed. Yeah, show an air bender how flying is done. Suuure.  
In the sky, the boy and Aang tried to out-glide each other, but they were evenly matched, surprisingly.  
The boy called out to Aang in a complementary tone, but Aang brushed it off with an "I know" and that he can do more than "fancy gliding."  
Aang flew toward the temple wall, and jumped off his glider. He ran across the wall for a while before air scooting to the edge. Then he jumped back onto his glider and flew back to the boy.  
He was impressed, and showed off his own special trick. Unplugging a sack of smoke in the back of his glider, and began to draw something in the sky whilst gliding. When he was done, it was Aang's face looking grumpy, which reflected quite accurately Aang's expression after he saw it.  
The rest of the group and I laughed, watching the scene in the sky unfold.

When they land, the boy, introducing himself as Teo, greeted them. We were surprised—he was bound to a wheelchair, disabled from the waist down. He turned to Aang. "You're the Avatar, aren't you?"  
Aang grinned. "Why yes I am."  
Teo grinned back. "Come, let me show you around."  
When Aang entered the temple, he appeared shocked. He explained that the Air Temple he remembered visiting 100 years ago was not like this, obviously It was now covered in pipes and machinery; completely industrialized.  
Later in the tour, we even saw part of the temple being demolished. This made Aang very angry, and he let that be known. He blew the wrecking machine away and turned to yell at the man directing it; Teo's dad: the mad inventor.  
"What do you think you're doing? You're thoughtlessly destroying centuries of Air Tribe culture!"  
"My boy, progress is moving forward and I am merely improving this place," he attempted to explain this to Aang, smiling, but Aang is still a little ticked. I thought it made logical sense. Meh, Aang relied too much on emotion.  
"Hey, Aang, there's this inner sanctuary that can only be opened by air bending. I'm guessing it's sacred to Air Monks? Anyway, want to see that?" Teo suggested, smiling.  
Aang shook his head. "If that's the only part of the temple unchanged I want to keep it that way."  
Teo nodded. "I completely understand."

Meanwhile, the mad inventor was showing me around. They went deep into the fortress, and I was led to a natural gas deposit.  
"We're having a bit of a problem here, Sokka. There has been leaks of natural gas, and lest we want to be blown off the mountain, we need to fix this. Alas, the gas is odorless and colorless, making it near impossible to find the gas leak. Any thoughts on how to do this?"  
I scrunched up his forehead as I tried to come up with a solution. I frowned. "Sorry, I got nothing."

Outside Teo was talking about gliding to Jet and Jojo, explaining how the wind will support something inside and that something then takes over when you fly.  
"That something is spirit," Aang noted.  
Teo nodded, agreeing. "I think so too, actually." He turned to Jojo. "You want to try?" he handed a glider out toward her.  
Jojo put her hands up, refusing it. "I'm an earth bender kid. I'd very much like to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground."  
Teo nodded, understanding.  
"I thought you were the Flying Earth bender?" Jet mused.  
"Exactly, and that's why I don't need any glider to help me do that," she snapped.  
Jet shrugged. "I'm up for a little flying," he said, grabbing the glider and taking to the air. He automatically seemed to enjoy the thrill of gliding.  
"You know Teo, you may not actually be an air bender, but you definitely have the spirit of one," Aang comments whilst they're flying together.  
"Well, thank you," Teo laughed.  
When they land, Aang turned to Teo. "Actually, I think I might actually show you the sanctuary."

I was now in the mad inventor's study. I clumsily knocked over a model of a hot air balloon. "Sorry!"  
The inventor laughed."It's okay; it's just an old model…though, we've never quite figured out a way to make it work." He frowned, scratching his head.  
"It really smells like rotten eggs in here," I remarked. "How can something so small you can hardly see it, make such a big smell?" Realizing what I had said, I looked up and the two of us exchanged glances.  
"If we put rotten eggs with the gas…" I began.  
"…then whenever there is a leak you will smell rotten eggs…" the mad inventor continued.  
"And you will find the leak easier!" we exclaimed, in unison.  
Suddenly an alarm bell went off, blaring loudly, and the mad inventor quickly exited the room.

Aang, Teo, Jet, and Jojo stood just outside the Air Sanctuary.  
Aang readied himself and blew a large amount of air at the door; opening it. When the doors fully open he stared inside in complete shock, stunned to the core, and enraged.  
Inside the large room, on every wall, occupying every floor space, were Fire Nation equipment and war machines.  
"Damn…" Jet trailed. "I've never seen so many weapons in one room." Of course you haven't dimwit.  
When they heard someone approaching, the group spun around to see the inventor and I. Aang immediately bombarded Teo's father with accusations and angry comments about the contents of the room.  
He sadly began to explain the story. The Fire Nation found them in the Temple a year after they moved in and only let the people stay there if he would make them war equipment. "They threatened to kill us! Teo was little you see, and his mother was still alive, I…I had to protect them. I had to protect us all. You would do the same, in my position, wouldn't you?" He looked at each one of our glaring, though slightly sympathetic, faces.  
Suddenly, a whistle went off. "That signals that a Fire Nation emissary is here to collect the machinery." the inventor spoke slowly. When Teo's dad went to see him, Aang and Teo followed along.  
Aang blasted the Emissary with air. "He will be making you no more weapons!" Aang told him, angrily, pointing between the mad inventor and the emissary.  
"Fine! The Fire Nation will then destroy the temple to rubble!" he announced before departing.

Many people gathered in the inventor's study. I successfully found a way to make the war balloon work -the solution was a lid to release the hot air as needed. I then presented the four different kinds of bombs they had: stink, slime, explosive, and smoke.

Out in front of the temple where everyone was assembled, we saw the first ranks of Fire Nation soldiers coming. The gliders, including Jet, led by Aang, attacked by throwing the bombs. Momo was on Appa and in charge of tossing more bombs to those who needed them. Then out of nowhere, chains flew up and hooked onto the cliffside… Hanging from them were Fire Nation tanks!  
When Aang dislodged one of the chains to make the tank fall, it shot another chain up.  
Jojo pushed him out of the way and ordered him to go back with gliders. She earth bended a boulder down on the tank, pushing it back down the cliff and crushing it at a lower ledge. She does the same to a few more, but the tanks keep on coming; seemingly endless. However, Jojo did not tire and kept it up, figuring someone would come up with a better plan eventually. Thattagirl. I knew I liked her for a reason other than being pretty.

The tanks soon began to overwhelm the single earth bender and were now attaching themselves to the main part of the temple where the civilians were, and a giant balloon finally took to the air. Our giant balloon. It had the Fire Nation insignia on it, since it was developed by Teo's dad for the Fire Nation, but the inhabitants of the temple knew it was Teo's dad and I. However, the Fire Nation didn't know that, and didn't attack it.  
We dropped a couple massive slime bombs on the Fire Nation soldiers and tanks, but we quickly ran out, unfortunately.  
The inventor and my eyes widen as they smelt the same thing, coming up with the same idea. I really liked this connection we seemed to had."Rotten eggs!"  
We dropped the only bomb they have left: our engine. An enormous _boom_ sounded, and when the smoke cleared a gigantic crater is seen to have formed around the temple.  
The Fire Nation began retreating, realizing the situation was hopeless. Whoop!  
However the balloon was speeding towards the ground, having lost its engine.  
Aang flew rapidly after us and rescued us with help from Teo and Jet, who picked up gliding rather quickly. I must say, as much as I hate Jet, he did save my life, and I owe him.

Back at the temple we all rejoiced in our victory.  
"As long as we have control of the skies, we will always have an advantage on the Fire Nation," I announced, feeling rather cocky.  
Jojo punched me on the arm. "Wipe that look off your face. You weren't the only one who fought. I mean, really, for most of it you were hiding inside of a big balloon."  
"I ended the battle!" I retorted.  
"And then we had to save your arse afterwards," Jet smirked.  
I began to complain but everyone started laughing and I crumbled to it as well.  
Teo's dad looked away with downcast eyes.

At the bottom of the mountain in the forest stood the Fire Nation Emissary with the deflated balloon. A couple of soldiers were filling the balloon with hot air from their fire bending.  
"This defeat is the gateway to many victories," the Emissary announced, attempting to motivate his men.


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm really bad at this fanfiction thing XD**  
**This is a long one so all good right? :3**

**Writerswand's**  
**Boiling Water**  
_**The Water Bending Master**_  
_**Seize of the North Part 1 & 2**_  
**Chapter 13**

"It's freezing," Jet muttered, shivering.  
"Well we are up around the North Pole dumb—" Sokka began.  
Jojo cut him off. "If we're so close to the North Pole, then where is it?" she asked, waving her arms around at the empty blue water around them.  
Aang, who sat in the front, steering Appa through the northern ocean, spoke up. "It has to be around here somewhere…we just have to be patient."  
"We've been flying for hours!" Jet exclaimed.  
"You'd think someone who singlehandedly led a bunch of homeless kids in the wildness for years would be tougher built," Sokka smirked.  
"You take off that warm, cozy parka you're snuggling inside and see how you fare!"  
Before Sokka could retort the water around the bison suddenly froze, keeping them in place, and all they could do was watch as several boats full of, presumably Northern, water benders approached them.

Meanwhile Admiral Zhao held a meeting with six fellow Fire Nation military men on the whereabouts of the Avatar.  
"We should just head in there and retrieve them!" Li, Fire Nation militia captain, urged.  
"That would be virtually impossible. There's a reason why the Northern Water Tribe has survived one-hundred years of war. We will not be able to take on the tribe without a massive invasion force," Zhou explained.

On firm declaration that they were friendly, and with the Avatar, who had to show off his air bending, the water benders led them through the tribe's entrance, with a massive display of water, and ice bending.  
The group was awe-stricken as they were led through the city on boats.  
"This is so much more grand than the Southern Water Tribe," Sokka breathed.  
"Your tribe used to be like that too, before the war," Aang noted, but before he could continue he yelped, jumping up five feet in the air. He came back down, and sat in the boat, rubbing his sore ankle, and glaring at someone snickering on shore.  
"Kinto!" exclaimed an elderly woman behind him. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself; that was the Avatar!"  
The boy called Kinto shrugged. He was tall and lanky, with dark, shoulder length, ragged hair, and ice-blue eyes. "I needed to get his attention. The Avatar's not going to want to stay here for months to learn water bending. He's gonna need a teacher that can go with him; and I've always wanted to see the world!"  
"Kinto you are hardly a water bending master yourself, if the chief is to send someone with the Avatar it will surely not be you," the elderly lady, presumably Kinto's grandmother, sighed.  
Kinto shrugged and walked off, winking at the group.  
Jet laughed. "I like him."  
"You would," Sokka mumbled.  
"He is so not teaching me water bending," Aang mumbled, rubbing his ankle still.  
Jet ignored Sokka and looked over at Aang. "C'mon, it can't hurt that bad, it was just water."  
"I know! I don't understand it either! It seriously felt like a sharp whip!" Aang argued.  
Kinto, who had run ahead of the boat, turned back with a grin on his face.  
"There's so much water and ice," Jojo changed the subject, looking around, green eyes wide.  
"I know, amazing, isn't it?" Jet asked.  
"No, quite the opposite. Where's all the earth?!" Jojo was in hysterics.  
"There is none. We're in the middle of the northern ocean," Sokka replied.  
"I shouldn't have come."  
"Now Jojo, don't say that, this is one of the best sights in the world, why would you want to miss out on that?" Jet asked.  
"I can't earth bend!"  
"I don't see the problem. Think of it like a vacation."  
"Bending is a way of life Jet! Isn't it Aang?" She turned her head toward the Avatar.  
Aang nodded. "She's right. This has to be horrible for Jojo. You and Sokka wouldn't understand."  
Jojo nodded, rapidly. "See?"  
Aang sighed. "Though, you can handle a while of earth bending-free days, I think. When we get back to the Earth Nation, you can earth bend as much as you'll like."  
Jojo threw her arms up in the air. "What if we get attacked!?"  
This time a water bender replied. "We won't. This is the most protected civilization in the world. The Fire Nation has tried, and failed, to invade us for a whole century of all out-war."  
Jojo sat back, arms crossed, and muttered to herself.  
The boat approached a bridge. "Jojo, it's—" Sokka's eyes caught a glimpse of a white-haired beauty standing on top the bridge, and he swallowed. Maybe love at first sight wasn't a silly fairy tale.

***Katara***

Iroh was once again hosting Music Night on the deck.  
Iroh sang a song about the four seasons, so in essence, the four elements. The lieutenant, Jee was his name, was playing a pipe, his long fingers moving up and down the wooden instrument as he blew, and creating a pretty melody.  
I ran off-deck and down the ship's corridors until I reached Zuko's room. I threw open the door.  
"Uncle, for the last time, I am not playing the Sungi Horn!" Zuko exclaimed.  
Ignoring him, I grabbed Zuko's pale hand and ran back out to the deck, where the crew were dancing, and began dancing with the fire prince to the fast-paced beat.  
While the music played and we all danced, Zhao and two guards step aboard the ship, ruining the pleasant atmosphere.

***Jojo***

A banquet was held in honor of the Avatar, and "their brother from the Southern Water Tribe," or in other words, Sokka. Jet and I were just kind of there.  
The Chief announced our arrival to the rest of the tribe, then added that his daughter Princess Yue has just turned sixteen, which apparently is the proper age for marriage in their tribes. Personally, I think that that's a rather young age to get married but then—wait that was the girl Sokka went all weird over when we were on the boat, wasn't it?  
Of course, she sat down next to Sokka, and of course, they began flirting. The princess seemed to enjoy Sokka's cute little attempts at courtship and seemed to like him as well. But she couldn't actually. I mean, she was a princess. She had to be playing him.  
"Hey Jojo, try the fish, it's delicious," Jet said to me, holding his fork in my face.  
I took the bite, quickly chewed, and swallowed. "Mmhm, yes this is good Jet," I told him, as I began eating more, whilst still watching Sokka and Yue. I rolled my eyes. Sokka was going to end up hurting himself.  
During the celebration of the Avatar's arrival, the water bending master, who the chief introduced as Pakku, and some of his students performed advanced water bending moves to entertain the audience. Apparently, this was the guy that was supposed to teach Aang water bending.  
I began to raise my hand but then thought, screw manners. "Why are all those students male? Don't you have any girls in your school?" I asked, directing my question at Pakku.  
The people at the long dinner table awkwardly laughed, as if I was a young child who had just told a bad joke but they didn't want to hurt my feelings.  
Pakku answered me. "My girl, I don't know what it's like where you're from but—"  
"Earth Nation, I'm from the Earth Nation, particularly Ba Sing Se, I would think you would guess that from my eyes, but that's beside the point, why are there no girls?"  
"Like I was about to say before you rudely interrupted me; girls are not supposed to be taught water bending beyond that of healing. Girls are healers; men are warriors. Girls have no need to learn advanced bending."  
I frowned. "The old days are long and gone sir, everyone needs to know how to fight and protect themselves. It's a dangerous world out there."  
"I think you misunderstand me miss; girls don't need to learn, when they have men that can protect them."  
I jumped up, placing my hands on the table. "Oh so that's what you do here? You make girls dependent and serving, whilst men are able to go out freely and do what they like?"  
"Miss, you need to calm down. This is merely tradition, and has been accepted generation after generation without—"  
I slammed my fist against the table. "Screw tradition!" There was a collective gasp from those seated around me. I scowled. "Cold, no earth, sexist; I knew I didn't like this place." I spun on my heel and walked out.  
Aang swallowed. "Uh…I apologize for her but…"

***Katara***

The music fell silent and we all slowly came to a stop, still and staring.  
"May we speak somewhere in private Prince Zuko?" Zhou requested, looking around at the crew in disgust.  
Zuko nodded grimly and led Zhou to his bedroom, Iroh and I in wake. When we reached his room Zuko closed the door behind us and turned to Zhou. "What do you want?"  
Zhou made a tsk noise with his tongue at Zuko's attitude but went on regardless. "I recruited this crew for an expedition to the North Pole."  
"Everyone?" I squeaked.  
Admiral Monkey-face didn't even look at me as he spoke. "Yes, even you, as the Fire Lord considers you a valuable asset, and technically, you were supposed to be a soldier anyway. I honestly don't know why his majesty allowed you to come."  
I opened my mouth to argue but Iroh elbowed me, giving me a look. "Even the cook?" he asked.  
"Yes, even the cook," Zhou sighed.  
Zuko's facial expression was a mix of confusion, worry, and a little anger. "What are you going on about Zhou? When my father asked me to look for the Avatar he generously supplied me with this crew and told me that I could take two others of my own choosing with me. I chose my uncle and Katara; he did not object. And now you're telling me you can just take that away from me?" Zuko asked.  
Zhou nodded. "I can, actually, I got direct permission from your father."  
"You must have misunderstood him. Perhaps he told you to cooperate with my nephew to help find the Avatar. After all, combined forces are always more powerful than competing ones," Iroh suggested, wisely.  
Zhou shook his head. "Not at all general." He turned back to Zuko. "Do you honestly think your father gave you this quest out of the goodness of his heart?"  
"Of course he did! He knows I can accomplish great feats—so he gave me this to prove myself!" Zuko argued, his fists were clenched, and I grew worried…  
"Zuko…" I trailed.  
Zhou continued. "I apologize for having to be the one to bring this news down on you my prince, but he does not love you. He tolerates you, as you're his firstborn, but you disgrace him. He gave you this quest to get rid of you, like he got rid of your whore mother."  
Zuko exploded. No words from me could calm him after someone just spoke ill of his mother. Additionally, I was upset too. Iroh looked like he was struggling to keep his cool and not strike Zhou down with lightning. How dare this monkey-faced admiral insult the kindest soul in the Fire Nation? Zuko screamed and threw back his arm, now completely on fire, and punched toward Zhou.  
Zhou sidestepped, just barely dodging Zuko, and watched with a mix of amusement and disgust as Zuko went barreling toward the wall, before punching it, leaving a fist sized scorch mark. Zuko cried out as his knuckles cracked. I winced. That sounded like it hurt.  
Zhou scowled. "Attempted assault on an elder. Don't think your father won't hear of this." Zhao marched toward the door, but just before exiting the room a silver glint caught his eye. He turned his head and quickly took note of two big, curved swords that hung on the wall. Zhou walked over and took one of them down, examining it. "Prince Zuko, I didn't know you were skilled with Long Dao Broadswords?" He asked, a very slight smirk on his face.  
"I'm not. They're antiques," Zuko said, fists clenched, glaring at Zhou. "I'd appreciate if you put that back exactly as you found it and get off my ship. If my father really told you that you could take my crew let him come here himself."  
Zhou, obviously seriously pissed and feeling rather defiant continued examining the sword. "General Iroh, have you heard of the Blue Spirit?"  
"Just rumors, sir," Iroh shrugged.  
"Well he is a criminal, and I feel justice will catch up to him soon." Zhou handed Iroh the sword and left the room.  
"What was that?" I asked. "About the Blue Spirit, I mean."  
"A bunch of bull," Zuko muttered before leaving the room.  
I looked over at Iroh for clarification and he simply shook his head. I frowned. "I'm not going with Zhou. I'm not fighting water benders."  
Iroh placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'm afraid we don't have much of a choice Miss Katara."  
~

Sokka spent the next day chasing after Princess Yue as she sailed around the city in her boat. Eventually, Sokka managed to catch her and walked alongside the boat and they talked about the banquet last night.  
"I hope we can see more of each other," Sokka said, longing.  
Yue nodded, smiling at him, and pointed back at an ice bridge her boat just passed under. "Meet me at that bridge later tonight."  
Sokka smiled and nodded excitedly. With his full attention on Yue he managed to walk right into the water by mistake.  
Yue laughed and apologized before lifting her arm and gracefully waving the famous princess goodbye as her boat rounded a bend.  
Sokka climbed back up onto the ice sidewalk in a daze, smiling blissfully to himself.

At a Fire Nation harbor in the Earth Kingdom, a group of pirates were meeting with Admiral Zhao. Zhou picked up a small chest.  
"I am impressed. You are highly qualified for the mission I have in mind." He opened the chest to reveal it filled to the brim with shiny gold pieces.  
The pirates' eyes glint with greed and the pirate captain spoke. "What would you like us to do, Admiral?" he asked.  
Zhou smiled. "Are you familiar with Prince Zuko?"

***Katara***

The door creaked open and Iroh walked in. He looked over at me, sitting at the end of Zuko's bed. "The crew has departed; it's time for you to get going as well, Miss Katara."  
"No," I said stubbornly. "I'm not going. I'm staying with Zuko."  
"But Miss Katara—"  
"I don't care what Admiral Monkey-face, the godforsaken Fire Lord, or anyone says or does! Monkey-face was probably lying anyways!" I snapped. "If either wants me they're going to have to come and drag me away themselves."  
Iroh sighed and turned to Zuko. "At least come for a walk with me?"  
"No," Zuko refused, simply.  
Iroh smiled sadly and left the room, closing the door softly behind him.  
Ten minutes of awkward silence later Zuko sprung up out of bed. "Did you hear that?" he asked, in a whisper.  
"What?" I asked, softly.  
"Listen…" Zuko trailed. "It sounds as if a group of people are boarding."  
Zuko and I ran out of the room and into the hallway. A green parrot zipped down the hallway and turned a corner.  
"Wait…wasn't that parrot…" I trailed.  
Zuko's eyes widened and we exchanged glances. "Katara, you have to get off the ship."  
I shook my head. "Not without you!"  
Zuko's lip quivered. "A captain has to go down with his ship…"  
I raised an eyebrow. "You aren't seriously considering letting yourself die?"  
Zuko avoided my eye contact. "Katara—"  
"Zuko you can't!"  
"Don't worry about me Katara."  
I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm not leaving."  
"Katara you need to leave. I'm gonna face the pirates and you could get hurt—"  
I shoved him on the chest. "And you couldn't? Zuko I'm not helpless. I'm staying by your side."  
"Katara! If something happened to you, if you…died, and if I somehow didn't, I'll never forgive myself!" Zuko shouted at me.  
I opened my mouth to shout back, but then my jaw slammed close, like a puppet. "W-What?"  
Zuko sighed and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to him. Then he kissed me. My eyes widened but I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him back.  
A moment later he pushed me away. "Now go Katara."  
"But, Zuko—"  
"Katara!"  
I bit my lip and obeyed, running down the hallway to the nearest exit.

I had jumped off the ship and began running down the path inland. I could see the tiny figure of Iroh on the path ahead of me, about a quarter of a mile away from the shore.  
As I ran the tiny figure of Iroh slowly grows larger and all of a sudden I heard the loud boom of blasting jelly barrels and gunpowder and Zuko's scream. I looked behind my shoulder to see the ship explode into flames and smoke. I felt tears streaming down my cheeks as I reached Iroh. He took one look at me before running back to the ship, fearful for his nephew's life. When he arrived, though, it was too late to do anything. Iroh hung his head in despair and mourned his loss. I felt the tears pouring upon my dark cheeks.  
~

Princess Yue looked out at the city from the ice bridge. Sokka walked up behind her. He began to speak and she started, surprised. She turned around and when she realized it was just Sokka her hand flew to her chest. "Oh, Sokka, you startled me."  
"I'm sorry," Sokka apologized, holding out a little wooden figure. "I made this for you."  
Yue took the figure in her hands. "Oh…thank you Sokka…is it a bear?"  
Sokka frowned and turned the figure around in her hands. "It's a fish! See, with a tiny fin."  
Yue turned away, giving Sokka back the wooden fish. "Asking you to come here was a mistake," she said before running off.  
Sokka, now very confused and kind of angry, threw the wooden figure off the bridge where it fell into the water with a small _splash_ far below.

***Katara***

Zhao poured some tea for Iroh and I. I sat next to Iroh with my head down, my hair a mess, hanging in my face, as I tried to hide my tears. I could hardly drink tea right now, despite my love for it.  
"I am just devastated to hear of Zuko's death. It must be affecting the two of you drastically," Zhou said as he put the tea pot back on the kettle. Keep talking, monkey-face.  
Iroh nodded. "Ozai will not be pleased to hear who was responsible."  
Zhou perked up. "Who was?"  
"A band of pirates who sought vengeance."  
Zhou smiled at this as he sipped his tea. I wanted to slap that grin off his monkey-shaped face. He had some part in this, somehow. I knew it. That bastard. May he rot in Hell.  
"Iroh, have you reconsidered my offer to join my force?" he asked Zuko's uncle. Of course, he doesn't give me the choice.  
Iroh nodded. "It'll be an honor to serve as your general." He raised his tea cup. "To the Fire Nation and all its colonies."  
Zhou raised his own tea cup. "To Victory."

At the Fire Nation port in one of the ships, General Iroh walked down the hallway and I followed close behind. Iroh stopped midway, nearly causing me to bump into him, when a guard walking towards us also stopped.  
"The plan is working perfectly," Iroh told the guard.  
The guard took off his white mask, revealing the face of Zuko. I gasped. His face was cut up and a bruise covered his right eye. …But he had survived.  
I ran past Iroh and enveloped Zuko in a tight hug. "Don't ever do that to me again Zuko," I mumbled into his Fire Nation uniform.  
He hugged me back, holding me tight. "I won't, I promise." He put his lips to the top of my head, kissing me, and inhaled the scent of my hair before looking over me at Iroh. "You didn't have to do this Uncle."  
"I couldn't let my nephew stow away on a ship without some backup," Iroh smiled.  
Zuko thanked him and down the hall a door slammed. Zuko let go of me and put the mask back into place.  
"Stay hidden until we reach the North Pole and the Avatar will be yours," Iroh advised him. Then we went our separate ways.  
~

The next evening at dinner Jojo was again absent. Sokka didn't care. Aang was too absorbed in talking with everyone. Jet, on the other hand, did, but the food was good so he decided she could wait until he ate.  
Midway through dinner the chief again mentioned his daughter being of marrying age and began discussing weddings.  
At these words Yue burst into tears and ran off crying.  
Sokka sprang up from the table and chased after her. Later, well into the night, he found her on the bridge they had met on last night.  
"Yue…I understand. I never thought a girl like you would even notice a guy like me, a mere Southern Water Tribe peasant, much less actually like me…"  
"That's not it Sokka. I—" Yue began to explain, but Sokka doesn't listen.  
He starts to leave but she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back, kissing him.  
Sokka pulled away after a few moments, even more confused than before.  
"Sokka, I do like you. I like you, a lot, so much. I can't explain it. But…we can't be together."  
"Why? Is it…is it the class difference? The tribe difference?"  
Yue shook her head. "No, no, nothing like that…it's just that…" she pulled a necklace much like Katara's out from under her collar. "I'm engaged." She began crying again. "I'm so sorry Sokka!" She ran away, tears streaming down her cheeks, leaving him alone on the bridge.  
In the shadows the figure of the Kissing Bandit smirked before approaching Sokka. "Hey, is something wrong?" she asked.  
Sokka spun around. "Oh, hey Jojo. It's just that…that girl, Yue. I really like her. But…unfortunately…"  
Jojo sighed. "Sokka she's a princess, of course she doesn't like you. She's just using you."  
Sokka's brow furrowed. "No…it's not that…"  
"Of course she is. You're really an idiot Sokka."  
"You're wrong."  
"I'm actually not."  
Sokka glared at Jojo. "You know what I think? I think you're jealous of her."  
Jojo was taken aback. "Me? Jealous? Of her? Of that dainty water lily?"  
"You are jealous, aren't you? You're jealous I'm paying attention to her and not you. You love attention. That's why you became the Kissing Bandit I bet—you would've found a job and gotten money the honest way, but you wanted attention and fame. And you love when Jet and I fight, especially when it's over you. Instead of letting Aang, the master diplomat, help us, you allow our strife to go on; because it gives you pleasure!"  
Jojo, deeply offended, opened her mouth to speak, but Sokka cut her off.  
"But you know what, Jojo, I actually still kind of like you. Not as much as Yue, of course, but still. And I really don't know why." Sokka sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I'm going to bed, good night Jojo." He walked off, leaving Jojo with her reality-check.

***Katara***

Iroh sighed as we stood behind Zhao on the ship deck. The fleet was now ready to head to the Northern Water Tribes. They lit their engines.

**Seize of the North, Part I**

Jet walked around the Northern City, finishing up the last bits of chicken from his dinner and licking the bone. He was trying to find Jojo. Where was she? She's been acting real weird. Was it the lack of earth? Jet shrugged, swallowing the last chunk of chicken from the bone. It gleaned white and clean in the bright moonlight and Jet grinned, before nonchalantly tossing it over the bridge and into the water below. Except…there was no splash as it plopped into the freezing cold water.  
There was a cry.  
Jet ran to the edge of the bridge and leapt over, using his hook swords and lower himself down and jump off to the shore below.  
Jojo sat on the ground rubbing her head, the chicken bone, now floating in the water, by her feet. "I swear, if I could earth bend right now you would be on the Moon you—" Jojo looked up and saw Jet smirking down at her, a thin icicle sticking out of his mouth, as there was an absence of wheat. "Oh, hey Jet."  
Jet spit the icicle into the river and sat down next to Jojo. "Sorry 'bout that."  
"'Tis fine," Jojo sighed.  
"You cold?" Jet asked, noting the lack of her cloak.  
Jojo shook her head.  
Not believing her, Jet put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. To his surprise, she didn't smack his arm away. Jet frowned; something was up. Instead, she even leaned in a little."Jojo? Did something happen?" He asked her.  
"Nothing. Just show me how much you love me." She threw her arms around him in a tight embrace and kissed him.

"You're doing very well Aang, have you water bended before?" Master Pakku asked, as he and Aang tossed a stream of water back and forth.  
Aang twirled the stream of water around his body before sending it back to Pakku. "A bit. A…friend I guess you can call it, gave me a water bending scroll, it was stolen, but just from pirates…that's okay…right?" Aang asked, unsurely.  
Pakku shrugged, not seeming to really care about the measures used to obtain said scroll. "Can I see this scroll?" he asked.  
"Yeah sure." Aang bended the water back into a little pool and searched through his clothes, looking for the scroll. "Where is it? I know I brought it with me… I did plan on showing it to you Master," Aang explained, still looking through his pockets.  
"Hey, Avatar, over here," called a familiar voice to Aang's right.  
Aang closed his eyes and sighed inwardly before slowly turning to face the male water bender, opening his eyes.  
Kinto stood there, leaning against an ice wall, holding the water bending scroll in his hand.  
"You stole that from me?" Aang asked, frowning.  
Kinto laughed. "Borrowed. I just wanted to teach myself some more advanced moves. It was quite interesting," he shot Aang a mischievous grin.  
Aang quickly shot over to Kinto with air bending and snatched the scroll away from him, before running back to Pakku and handing him the scroll.  
Pakku took it and opened the scroll. Before reading it he spoke. "Kinto…you know stealing is not tolerated in this society. That is why you were expelled from my school. Oh, and the fact that you skipped half your classes." Pakku looked down to read the scroll.  
"I was the best student you ever had!" Kinto snapped.  
"And the rudest, for sure," Pakku said, reading the scroll. "Aang, I must say, this scroll is excellent. What should we try first? Double Water Whip?"  
"Sure!" Aang beamed, having put thoughts of Kinto aside.  
"Pfft. That one's elementary," Kinto bragged.  
"Run along now child," Pakku said dismissively, handing Aang back the scroll and water bending two streams of water up and out of the small pool.

Sokka and Princess Yue were enjoying each other's company inside the city of the North Pole. Sokka spoke about the primitive nature of his village.  
"Oh!" Princess Yue exclaimed, surprised. "Are there really no ice buildings?"  
"Yup, no ice buildings, ice sculptures, only the kind of ice you slip on."  
"Not one?"  
"Nope, not one, didn't I say that already?" Sokka grinned, and poked Yue on the side, being silly, which resulted in a cute-sounding giggle from her.  
Suddenly, she stopped in the middle of an ice bridge, a forlorn look on her face. "This is wrong."  
"What's wrong?" Sokka asked, reaching for her hand.  
She pulled her hand away. "What we're doing. It's wrong Sokka."  
Sokka frowned. He could hardly bear to look at that downcast face of hers. Then he thought of something. "Come, I want to show you something."

The two approach Appa and as they got close, Appa pounced on top of Sokka. Yue giggled, amused. Sokka smiled, admiring how her blue eyes sparkle when she laughs.  
Together, they climbed onto Appa and took off into the air. The lift-off took Yue by surprise and she yelped a little, but Sokka placed a hand over hers, calming her.  
In the air, Princess Yue spoke. "Is it always this cold in the sky?" she asked.  
Sokka gazed into her pretty eyes. "Not when you're with someone."  
Princess Yue blushed furiously and gazed into Sokka's eyes. They almost kiss, until they both realized that this was wrong.  
Sokka turned away and brought Appa back to the ground as it started to snow, the clean, white snowflakes falling onto Yue's white hair all pretty-like…  
As Sokka and Yue walked away from Appa the snow began to turn black.  
The North Pole inhabitants all watched in horror at the black snow, and at the waters in the fountains as they turned black.  
"Black snow?" Yue asked, confused.  
Sokka looked at the new snowflakes in her hair, a stark contrast from her hair color. "That's not snow...it's soot, from Fire Navy ships. The village is being attacked!"

Fire Navy ships approached at a fast pace, and Admiral Zhao revealed in the history he was about to write.  
Iroh stood beside him. "Be careful what you wish for admiral. History is not always kind to its subjects," he warned the fire bending monkey.

***Katara***

In a secluded hallway of the ship Zuko and I stood, wrapped in each other's arms, as we talked softly to each other. It was not often that we got the time alone to do this, with Zuko having to stay under cover and I…well, yeah. We talked about everything and anything, from plans to capture the Avatar, fell Zhao, the state of the war, what we're going to do when this mess is all over, family, world affairs, to even the weather and how supper was last night.  
Eventually, we had to depart, which we did with a soft kiss and a tight hug, like we never wanted to let go for as long as we lived, and longer.

Water Tribe denizens began to gather at the sound of a large drum, and rushed up the steps to the temple. Sokka ran up the steps as well, holding Yue's hand, who followed close behind. He turned around when Yue held him back.  
"Sokka…we shouldn't see each other anymore," she told him, her face grim.  
Sokka frowned and Yue continued. "I like you too much Sokka…it's all too confusing…I don't know what to do. Please just let me be."  
She let go of his hand and the two depart ways…

Inside the temple the war ceremony was taking place. Chief Arnook gave a rousing speech, warning the people that some of them may not return after this meeting. When he asked for volunteers for a dangerous mission, Sokka was the first to stand up with a look of determination on his face.  
Jet quickly jumped up after him. "Hey, if Sokka's going I guess I have to too. It'll give the blunderhead something to rub in my face. Plus, I can never miss out on the chance to kick some Fire Nation ass."  
Sokka didn't respond.  
Jojo sighed and stood up afterwards. "I can't just sit back and do nothing. I may not be able to earth bend, but I can manage well on my own thank you very much."  
They approached Arnook, with a dozen other young men, who marked their foreheads with three red wavy lines.  
As Sokka walked off the stage, Yue glanced at him. When Sokka looked back somberly, Yue glanced back at her people with a tear silently passing down her cheek.

At daybreak, Aang waited in the impending silence for the approaching fire navy. Chief Arnook joined him, talking about the silence and the war.  
"I wasn't there for the war that took place against my people," Aang began. "So I'm going to make a difference this time," he stated.

Water tribesmen assembled at the front when the first fireball was launched.  
The attack began.  
Aang and Appa took off into the sky together. Aang landed on one of the navy ships where he quickly took out all the catapults while being attacked by men with heavy long-poled sledge hammers that could kill someone or crush a body part with just one blow.  
One wicked-looking man who had these hammers chained to armlets managed to tie Aang to a catapult. Fortunately, just in the knick of time Appa arrived, breaking the chains and sending the man overboard with a loud _splash!_ Boats carrying Water benders came up to the side and froze the ship into place along with its crew. Aang and Appa soar through the skies, but falter as they encountered endless rows of Fire Navy ships.

Meanwhile, the men on the dangerous mission, including our three heroes, prepared to take their plan into action, which was to board the lead ship in Fire Nation armor and take out the commanding officer.  
Chief Arnook presented a young man with Fire Nation armor on.  
At this, Sokka laughed out loud. "See these spiky shoulders" Sokka bent one back and flung it forward. "They are not part of the Fire Nation style."  
"He's actually right. Your enemy armor is a few decades out-of-date," Jet added. Jojo stayed silent, for whatever reason, looking strangely at Sokka. Jet put the annoying thought aside.  
"Also, the commanding officer is an admiral by the name of Zhao," Sokka pointed out. He began to describe his features and personality when Jojo stepped in.  
"He's basically a big, short tempered, sexist monkey. Smells like one too," she chimed in.  
The two stared at each other for a few moments. The tension radiating between the two was blatantly tangible.  
Arnook broke it, expressing his surprise at how knowledgeable the three are on details of the Fire Nation. He turned to the man in the old Fire Nation armor. "Show these people some respect Hahn, particularly Sokka here."  
Hahn nodded, seemingly annoyed, but followed orders. He walked off begrudgingly.  
Sokka didn't like him. He seemed self-absorbed, vain, and conceited. He put the thought aside, not wanting them to interfere with the battle, but a conversation distracted him…  
Someone, presumably a friend, walked up to Hahn and patted him on the shoulder, congratulating him on his upcoming marriage to the princess. Hahn smiled smugly and thanked him, and they continued making small talk of it and _her_.  
A look of disbelief, and a little disgust, crossed Sokka's face.

Twilight nears, and Iroh attempted to give Zhao some advice. "Anchor the boats and attack at daybreak admiral, the waterbenders' power are strongest when the full moon shines."

On the balcony of the palace, Yue gazes in worry at the approaching navy.  
Aang flew back on his glider, and dropped to the ground, his body slumping against the wall in defeat. "I can't do it. There's just too many."  
"But Aang…it's your duty, isn't it?" Yue asked, softly.  
"I'm just one kid, princess."  
"I'm sure you will find a way Aang. You are the Avatar after all. You always have."

***Zuko***

Dark approached and I planned on taking advantage of its cover. I donned a white outfit and readied a boat, repeatedly telling Katara she can't come with me. She kept persisting though, like the beautiful, stubborn, amazing brat she is.  
"It's too dangerous Katara. Please, stay with Uncle." I'm almost begging her now.  
She shook her head, her pretty blue eyes fierce. "No Zuko. I'm going with you. I'm not leaving you alone again. I can take care of myself. Besides, we're in my element. You need me Zuko," she argued, profusely.  
I sighed and gave in as Uncle came into the room. It got really sentimental. He was all teary, and told me that I was like a son to him, ever since his own son died at Ba Sing Se. I wanted to cry myself, but I held the tears back. I stood up and turned to Uncle gently and bowed with respect.  
Uncle came forward and embraced me in a tight hug.  
We separate and Uncle looked over at Katara. "You going too?"  
She nodded silently.  
Uncle nodded back, gratefully and watched as the two of us climbed inside the boat and descended into the frigid water.  
He gave me his last words of advice. "Stay warm in such a harsh environment, nephew."

The men on the dangerous mission sharpened their blades, Hahn and Sokka standing side by side, with Jet and Jojo behind them.  
Hahn began talking to Sokka about Yue. "She's a nice girl and all, very pretty, but I'm really only in this arranged marriage thing for the points I'm gaining with the chief, and of course, some other things, if you know what I mean," he grinned, elbowing Sokka softly.  
"You're a self absorbed weasel," Sokka spat.  
"Well at least I'm not a peasant."  
In anger, Sokka retaliated by pounding on Hahn and the two wrestle each other to the ground. Just then, Chief Arnook enters and rushed to the two, separating them. "Boys! Act your age!" he barked. He turned to Sokka. "Sokka, I'm going to have to call you off the mission."  
Hahn shot Sokka a smug smirk and whipped around to his men, including Jet and Jojo, who look at Sokka sympathetically, but make no attempt to back him up. "Troops! Follow my lead!" he commanded them, arrogantly.  
Sokka was left alone, simmering.

***Zuko***

The night darkened, and Katara and I navigated the boat swiftly past icebergs, advancing towards the city wall. We held hands, but drift in silence.  
We dock the boat and run for cover, watching as guards patrolled the border. Katara tapped my shoulder and pointed to the baying of seal-turtles. I thought she was just going to tell me how adorable they are, and was about to politely shush her, when she pointed to the creatures diving into a hole in the ice.  
Now with the same conclusion in our heads, I knew I loved Katara for more than just her looks and caring nature, we ran toward the hole.  
I nodded toward the hole. "Ladies first," I said softly.  
She nodded, inhaled deeply, and dived headfirst into the frigid waters.  
I follow through.

Meanwhile, Princess Yue and Aang gazed at the moon in its splendor. Princess Yue told the story of the moon; how it pulled and pushed the tides of the ocean, how the Water Nation's ancestors observed this and learned the ways of Waterbending.  
All of a sudden, Aang jumped up, seemingly inspired by her tale. "We can contact the spirit world for help!" he exclaimed, happily. Then he faltered. "But I don't know how to get there…I've only been there once, and that was by accident."  
"Well, there is the most spiritual place of the North Pole," Yue said, thoughtfully.  
"Can you bring me there?" Aang asked.  
"Yeah, me too," said a voice from above.  
Yue and Aang looked up, to see Kinto lying down on the roof, chin in his hands. "I've heard so much of that place, but no one's let me see it. Convinced I'd break something," he laughed.  
Yue sighed, mildly annoyed. "Kinto, why aren't you fighting with benders?"  
Kinto sat up and jumped down to her and pointed his thumb behind him at Aang. "Well, why isn't he?"  
Aang frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but Kinto continued. "The old timer wouldn't let me. Says I'm too much trouble than what I'm worth. Pah, what does he know?"  
Yue sighed again, a common reaction when concerning Kinto, it seems, exasperated. "Well, I suppose you could come then…"  
Kinto jumped up on one leg and fist pumped the air. Yue rolled her eyes.  
She led the boys to the place and opened the doorway, letting Aang and Kinto look in awe at an oasis. Surrounded by long, lush, green grass, there is a gateway; behind that a waterfall, and in front, a small pond with two koi fish swimming around in a circle, one black with a white spot, and one white with a black spot, very much like ying and yang.  
"This is…very tranquil," Aang observed.  
"More like boring," Kinto yawned.  
Aang ignored him and turned to Yue. "When I get into the spirit world you will know. I will become unaware of my surroundings here but I'll be able to come to later if no one moves my body," he informed her before sitting down crossed legged, in a meditative position.  
Momo edged toward the pond and ventured forward to try to catch one of the koi, but Yue scolds her, and she flew back to perch on Aang's meditating shoulder.

***Zuko***

Katara and I have survived the water and but I shivered violently as I stumbled out of the water into an underground cavern.  
Katara gratefully bended all the water off of me but I was still freezing. I nodded her thanks and slid down the wall onto the floor. I beckoned her over and sit her between my legs, wrapping my arms around her as she wrapped her arms around my neck, leaning her pretty head against my chest. I was hoping the increased body heat would help…plus she was just too adorable.  
Then, I remembered Uncle's advice. I slowly began using my fire breath, to warm us up. We sat there for a few moments before I stood up, now only holding Katara's hand.  
We began walking forward. I commanded a pack of noisy seals to stop barking, and they did, for a moment anyway, until we passed.  
I heard the sound of water before we came upon the high-pressurized water passageway. I turned to her. "Can you do something about this?"  
I was expecting her to doubt herself but instead she nodded her head, determined and sure of her power. She got into a stance, one that was too much fire-like for a water bender, I noted, and bended the down-pouring current upwards. "I don't know how long I can keep on pushing Zuko, so we'll have to climb fast," she warned me.  
I nodded as we entered the passageway.

At the same time, Sokka busied himself by sharpening his boomerang, all by his lonesome in the weaponry room.  
Chief Arnook approached him. "Are you all right Sokka?"  
"Yeah, just great," Sokka replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  
"I apologize for taking you off the mission Sokka…but I wanted you to do something much more important for me. I wanted you to protect my daughter."  
Instantaneously, Sokka's miserable expression turned to one of bafflement, and he accepted the task willingly.

***Zuko***

When we got to the top, Katara fell against me, weak and breathless. I picked her up and gently placed her on my back, carrying her, and began searching for an underwater passageway, before coming upon a cave to the side. I told Katara to hold her breath and swim inside.  
After a while a swimming I ascended up to get a breath of air, but quickly realized the way is covered in ice. I started to panic but quickly control it and began to melt his way to the surface. Finally, I break through and climb up, setting Katara on the ice next to me. I sat there for a few moments, holding a tired Katara, taking a break to recover ourselves inside the city's walls.

Aang was still trying to concentrate and find a passageway to the spirit world.  
"This is real boring," Kinto complained.  
"Well, you can leave. Feel free to do so," Yue replied.  
In exasperation, Aang demanded that he needs silence in order to concentrate. However, when Aang opened his eyes, he saw the two koi swimming in a circle. They followed each other and the two forms begin to merge into yin and yang. Instantaneously, Aang eyes and airbending tattoos began to glow.  
"Oh!" Yue's hand flew to her mouth, worried. "What's happening?"  
"Dunno." Kinto shrugged. "Probably just a spirit world thing. Don't worry your pretty little head a bit princess. I'll make sure nothing happens to the Avatar. You can count on Kinto."  
"Oh can she now?" came Zuko's voice from the other side of the oasis.  
Kinto spun around in disbelief. "Why, yes, of course she can."  
The two readied their stances and dueled, waterbending versus firebending. Zuko started off by shooting jets of flame at Kinto, who blocked them with water shields. He used double water whip to grab Zuko and spiral him into the air, causing him to land on the ground roughly.  
Zuko jumped back up and shot fire out at Kinto, who just narrowly dodged. Damn, this kid was strong, definitely the strongest waterbender he's ever fought, or seen for that matter. He might even be stronger than Katara. Then, Katara has only taught herself.  
Kinto suddenly started shooting Zuko with ice shards, causing Zuko to have to dance around to avoid them, leaving him breathless. All of a sudden, the waterfall started flowing horizontally, and smashed full force into Zuko, before freezing, leaving him encased in a solid chunk of ice.  
Kinto ran back to Aang and was about to grab him when Yue screamed."Kinto no!"  
"Princess, we have to get him to safety, that royal hothead's a firebender, he'll be out in no time!" Kinto shouted back at her.  
"Aang said not to move his body while he was in the spirit world!"  
Kinto pursed his lips together. "Fine. I guess I'll just stay here and protect him then." Kinto crossed his arms and was about to turn around when he felt a stream of water wrap around both his ankles. "What the…" Then the stream of water yanked hold of him and propelled him upwards, before sending him back down twenty feet away from Aang, on his face. Kinto groaned and out of the corner of his eye saw Yue rushing off. Good. Let the defenseless princess get away. Let's not accidently get her killed. That'll just complicate things further. Kinto groaned again and looked up to see a girl looming down above him, dark brown hair cascading along the sides of her dark face, hanging over her shoulders. She was very pretty. …But she wore a Fire Nation styled dress. Yet she had blue eyes the same shad as Kinto…and was a water bender, evidenced by what she just did to him. He was confused for a second, then he remembered something he's heard.  
Kinto scowled and got to his feet. "I know you. You're that water bender everyone talks about. The water bender who moves like a fire bender. The one who's sympathetic to the Fire Nation. The one who betrayed her people, her family, for them. The one who fell in love with their arrogant prince. How I loathe you."  
"Shut up!" Katara cried, whipping at Kinto again with water, who jumped out of the way literally just in time.  
Kinto laughed and bender two streams of water to either arm, before lashing them out at Katara's arms and legs. She cried out, surprised at how sharp he made the water feel. She brought up an ice shield to protect her, which Kinto conveniently shattered, causing Katara to fall back, protecting herself from the ice shards. Katara, however, quickly recovered and sent the ice shards flying back at Kinto, who narrowly dodged most of them, although one cut him across the arm. Kinto snarled and charged at Katara, bending multiple arms of water at once.  
The battle continued like this, with neither Katara nor Kinto showing signs of wearing or winning, until the sun began to rise.  
Suddenly, the ice encasing Zuko shattered, and he emerged. "Water benders may rise with the moon, but I rise with the sun," he said before running toward Aang and grabbing him by the shirt collar. "Come, Katara!"  
With Kinto distracted, Katara tried a more difficult move that she saw him do earlier, for good measure. She bended the waterfall horizontally and crashed it into Kinto, sending him flying into the wall, where he fell to the ground unconscious. She ran after Zuko.

Meanwhile, Zhao continued his attacks against the water tribe's defenses. The Fire Navy battered through the outer ice wall and soldiers stormed into the city.  
Zhao reveled in his moment of glory.

At the oasis, Kinto awakened and looked around to see that the Avatar was gone. He cursed. He watched as the big flying bison—Appa was his name—flew down next to him, with Sokka and Princess Yue.  
"I…I'm sorry. I failed. The Fire Nation prince took the Avatar," Kinto told them, crestfallenly. The three looked down sadly at Momo, who was now sitting where Aang was with his ears drooping.

Far north from the oasis in frozen tundra, Zuko, with his hood drawn tight, trudged through a blizzard with Aang on his back, holding Katara's hand, lest he lose her in the howling wind and whipping snow.

**Seize of the North, Part II**

Outside the city walls, the Fire Navy continued to attack with large fireballs. Inside the oasis, Sokka, Kinto, and Yue took off on Appa through the upcoming blizzard to search for Aang while Momo waits behind in the oasis. They search, but to no avail. Yet they prevail.

***Katara***

The snow was deepening and Zuko and I struggled through the snow, particularly Zuko, as he had a glowing, unconscious Aang on his back. Granted, Aang was pretty light, but still. All of a sudden, there was a _crack_ and the ice began to break behind us. We ran in a mad dash to escape before finally leaping out of the way. We look back to see a huge canyon formed. I feel dizzy just looking at it and Zuko pointed out a cave.  
"Let's wait out the storm there," he shouted over the wind.  
We walked toward it and once inside Zuko tied up Aang's hands and legs with rope. He then started up a fire and I crawled over on my knees next to him and rested my head against his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me in closer, as he watched the fire intently, his eyes frequently flickering over to Aang's slumped form.  
I found myself gradually falling asleep…

Back in the city, the fire nation soldiers attack it on komodo rhinos against waterbenders who shot pressurized water against the rhinos and oncoming tanks.

"Jet I'm all out of darts!" Jojo called out to her friend in the midst of battle. As she said this, a solider went running toward her. She kicked upwards and hit him in the chin, causing him to trip and fall off-ship into the sea.  
"You sure you can't bend the coal the ship runs on or something?" Jet called back to her, slashing at fire benders with his Tiger head hook swords.  
"I'd have to find the coal first!" Jojo exclaimed, punching another soldier off the side of the ship.  
"Yeah, that might take some time… Can you steal one of the soldiers' weapons?"  
"I could, but I'm not sure how good I'd be with it—it might be more trouble than it's worth!"  
"Hang on!" Jet went spinning across the deck, taking out half a dozen soldiers by the time he reached Jojo. "Stay by me then."  
They got back to back and Jojo tilted her head back and to the side to kiss Jet on the side of his head quickly. "Thanks dearie." She jumped up and kicked one large man off the ship with both feet, resulting in a loud _splash_.  
Zhao and Iroh watched their barrage of attacks from the top deck.  
"Zhao, I mean this in the greatest respect, but seriously, if we don't defeat the Water Tribe before the full moon rises again they will become undefeatable," Iroh warned him once more.  
In response, Zhao calmly told Iroh that he intends to remove the moon.  
Iroh was completely taken aback. "How?"  
Zhao merely gave a knowing smile.  
At this moment, Hahn burst out onto the deck, removed his helmet and attacked Zhao, spear forward. With one swift movement, Zhao sent Hahn overboard.  
"That's my cue!" Jet exclaimed, running up toward Zhao, Tiger head hook swords at ready, and is just about to slash the monkey-faced admiral from the back when he spun around and released a heavy blow, sending Jet flying toward the other side of the ship. Jet hit a wall hard, and slumped to the ground unconscious.  
"Jet!" Jojo screamed. She spun toward a soldier with a sword and kicked him between the legs, causing him to cry out and drop his sword. She grabbed it and ran up deck toward Zhao, anger masking her pretty face.  
Zhao was easily able to sidestep her charge and even swipe the sword away from her. He chuckled. "I would expect the Kissing Bandit to have put up a tougher fight."  
Jojo scowled. "If I could earth bend you would be suffocating on the moon right now!"  
"Do I now?" Zhao asked, amused. "I do plan on meeting the moon tonight."  
Jojo charged at him and Zhao threw away the mundane weapon and unleashed a torrent of fire at the girl, who fell backwards with cry.  
Iroh and Zhao continued their conversation as if nothing has happened, with the crumpled body of a teenage girl lying a mere ten feet away from them.  
Zhao told Iroh about his training under General Shu in the Earth Kingdom back when he was a young lieutenant, and how he found a secret underground library with many scrolls. On one of these scrolls, it told of the Moon Spirit and Ocean Spirit's mortal forms. Zhao knew that they could be found and killed; and believes that it is his destiny to do so.  
Iroh strongly opposed Zhao's intended acts, saying "the spirits are not to be trifled with."  
Zhao shrugged and casually replied. "I know that you fear the spirits. I've heard rumors of your journey to the Spirit World. However, the Moon and Ocean spirits gave up their immortality to be a part of our world…they will face the consequences of such a silly decision."

Night has come and full moon has risen, bringing the water tribe to the height of their power. Water tribesmen hailed sharpened ice shards down at the fire nation soldiers with upraised shields and Master Pakku decisively sliced three tanks in half and created a typhoon of water around him to attack from above.  
Meanwhile, Zhao draws nearer to the oasis with his men. "Come General, we're going fishing."

***Katara***

I am awoken by a stream of air that forced Zuko and I against the cave wall, and a now-awake Aang outside. We rush outside to see Aang attempting to worm his way across the snow.  
Zuko grabbed him by the collar. "You won't get away from me that easily kid."  
Aang looked over at me with those pleading, light grey eyes, but I stay behind Zuko.  
Just then, Appa landed in the snow and the water bender boy from before and Sokka jumped off.  
-

Katara readied her stance. "Here for a rematch?" she asked Kinto.  
He snarled. "You cheated. I was distracted."  
She shrugged and prepared an attack but Kinto had already bended snow and ice from the top of the cave mouth opening on top of her and Zuko, rendering them unconscious.  
Sokka jumped off from having cut Aang's bonds. He stormed over to Kinto and punched the boy across the jaw. "I told you not to hurt her!" Sokka shouted, angrily.  
"What? You have a crush on her or something?" Kinto asked, rubbing his jaw.  
"She's my sister!" Sokka snapped at him.  
"Come on guys, we have to go!" Yue called to the boys.  
Sokka picked up the unconscious form of Katara and laid her on Appa's saddle. Kinto climbed up afterwards and they were about to leave Zuko to freeze in the snow when Aang stepped in.  
"No, if we leave him, he'll die." Aang dragged Zuko into Appa's saddle and they take off towards the oasis.  
Alas, the five were already too late even before they arrived. Zhao had just caught the white fish and placed it into a small, brown, dry bag. As a result, the full moon in the navy blue sky changed to a blood red, like a red eye that basked everything in red light. The water bender's attacks stop completely.  
Yue began to feel faint and Aang felt similar. "I owe the Moon Spirit my life." Yue stated simply, beginning her story. "When I was born, I was very sick and very weak. Most babies cry when they're born, but I was born as if I was asleep, my eyes closed. The healers did everything they could to save me. They told my parents that I was going to die. My father pleaded with the spirits to save me. That night, under the full moon, he bought me to the oasis and placed me in the pond. My dark hair turned white; I opened my eyes began to cry. At that moment, my parents knew I would live. That's why my mother named me Yue; after the moon."

Meanwhile at the oasis, Zhao basked in his glory. "The Fire Nation will speak of me for centuries! I'll be as famous as the Fire Lord! Zhao the Moon Slayer! Zhao the Invincible!" Suddenly, Momo attacked him, clawing his face, giving Appa and his riders just enough time to approach from the opposite site of the pond.  
Zhao held the bag threateningly in front of them with his fist ready to fire.  
Immediately, Aang dropped his glider to the ground. "Zhao, don't do it. If you take out the moon, everything will fall out of balance and chaos will be unleashed on the entire world. All the elements are connected Zhao!"  
From the side, Iroh confirmed Aang's explanation. "Whatever you do on that spirit, I will unleash on you tenfold!" Iroh threatened Zhao with such conviction and an expression of utmost fury.  
Zhao slowly and reluctantly released the fish back into the pond, and the red sky returned to normal. But in a moment of fury and decisiveness, he launched a flame and killed the white fish, otherwise known as the Moon spirit, on the spot.  
Iroh and the kids looked on in horror as the moon faded away and the world fell into darkness. Iroh immediately attacked Zhao, unleashing fire with such fierceness and precision that Zhao retreated.  
Zuko and Katara managed to disappear as well. Sokka cursed himself for letting the prince take his sister away yet again.  
Iroh picked up the dead, white fish gently in his old hands.  
"There's no hope now; it's over," Yue said despairingly.  
At this moment, Aang's avatar spirit kicked in and he said in the combined voices, "No, it's not over." He made his way into the middle of the pond where he stood in a prayer stance. The black fish, the Ocean spirit, swam towards Aang and its eyes and white spot began to glow along with Aang's eyes and arrows. Aang pummeled straight down into the water and the water surrounding the oasis and Water Tribe City began to glow in an ethereal blue light. From the water he emerged as the Ocean Spirit itself; an incredibly large glowing water creature with a head shaped like a fish.  
The Ocean Spirit began to descend into the city, and upon sight, the water tribe people bow down in respect while the Fire Nation raised their spears. With just a flick of its arms, the Ocean Spirit killed off many of the men. Aang stood in the center of the water spirit, controlling the movements in his Avatar state.

Jojo came to and found the ship dark and deserted. She crawled over to where Jet lay. "Jet…Jet the moon's gone."  
But he was still unconscious.  
"Oh, Aang, I hope you're all right, you have to save us all…" And she collapsed onto Jet.

Meanwhile, Zhao had escaped General Iroh, but was taken aback when Prince Zuko attacked him. Katara slid back into the shadows, having had her bending taken away for the time being…  
"You're alive?" Zhao asked, aghast.  
"You tried to have me killed!" Zuko screamed as he blasted more fireballs at Zhao. "Did you actually even get my father's permission to take my ship?" They continued to fight, as Katara watched in awe…  
Dodging and blasting fire bolts, Zuko flipped over Zhao and fired under his arm, launching him off the wall and quickly following him.

Back at the oasis, Iroh gently placed the white koi back into the water. "It's too late; it's dead." Yue said in hopelessness. They pray for the moon spirit.  
Iroh looked over at Yue. "You have been touched by the Moon Spirit girl… some of the Moon Spirit's life is within her," he pointed out.  
Princess Yue opened her eyes. Being the dutiful person, she responded; "Yes, you're right. It gave me life." She paused. "Maybe I can give it back."  
Sokka realized what Princess Yue is about to do and is drawn out from his thoughts of his sister. He stopped her, grabbing at her hand to hold her back. "You don't have to Yue…you can't." "It's my duty Sokka."  
"No I won't let you. Your father told me to protect you." Sokka stated, as a last attempt.  
"It's my duty Sokka," she repeated and Sokka let go of her. She placed her hands over the fish, which was now being held by Iroh, and the fish began to glow. Yue closed her eyes and when the fish stopped glowing, she fell back and Sokka caught her in his arms.  
"She's gone; she's gone…" he trailed off in despair.

The Fire Navy ships began to retreat as the Ocean Spirit flowed out to them. It rose up again and sent wave after wave to tilt the ships over. It then moved out farther into the ocean, looking upon over a dozen more Fire Navy ships. It reached down and picked up the crumpled form of two Earth Nation children; sixteen year old boy and a fourteen year old girl in its watery palm.

Sokka still held Princess Yue against his chest when she suddenly disappeared. The white fish began to glow and Iroh placed it back into the pond. The pond itself then began to glow and an apparition of Princess Yue in a flowing white dress appeared solemnly. She glided down to Sokka and whispered him, "Goodbye Sokka, I'll always be with you." The two tenderly kiss each other briefly and Sokka remained gazing up where Yue once was. A few moments later the moon reappeared in the sky and the night returns to normal.

Back in the bay, the Ocean Spirit gazed up at the moon and sunk back into the water. Moving back into the bay, the Ocean Spirit dropped off Aang, Jet, and Jojo on top of the wall. Aang slipped out of his Avatar state as Jet and Jojo regain consciousness.

Zhao and Zuko still fight, when Zuko overpowers Zhao, knocking him to the ground. Upon seeing the moon once more in the sky, Zhao exclaimed in disbelief, "It can't be!"  
Just then, the Ocean Spirit reached over the bridge and grabbed Zhao with its massive hands. Zuko looked back to see it taking Zhao, and he rushed. "Take my hand!"  
At first Zhao tried to reach, but then pulled back his arm, accepting his fate and sinking within the depths of the ocean.

Dawn approached and the battle was over.  
Master Pakku, Chief Arnook, Sokka, and Kinto stood on a balcony, looking out over city.  
Master Pakku explained to Sokka that he will be heading to the South Pole with some other benders and healers to rebuild their sister tribe.  
"What about Aang?" Sokka asked. "He's obviously not a master water bender yet!"  
Pakku shrugged. "I've reconsidered an earlier decision. I think young Kinto has redeemed himself and proved himself capable of traveling with you and teaching Aang to water bend, has he not?"  
Sokka looked over at Kinto and frowned. "I guess…"  
Kinto jumped up and fist pumped the air. "Yes!"

On their makeshift raft, Iroh, Zuko, and Katara float out into the sea. Katara leant against Zuko, sleepily.  
"Zuko…I must say I am surprised you are not trying to capture the Avatar," Iroh said.  
"I'm tired," Zuko replied.  
Iroh laid a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "A man needs his rest." He then moves his hand to Katara's hair. "Women too," he chuckled.  
Katara smiled and closed her eyes.  
Exhausted, Zuko rested his head against Katara's and looked up at the sky with a thoughtful expression on his face, pained, but at the same time, ambivalently, happily.

Back in the city, Aang stared out at the ocean when he noticed Sokka, Jet, Jojo, Kinto, and Momo standing behind him. He turned around and they came together and hug a great, warm group hug. Together, they look out at the ocean, and the moon, as Appa hovered next to them.

At the Fire Lord's palace a figure is kneeled in front of the Ozai's fiery throne. "Iroh is a traitor and your brother Zuko is a disgrace. I fear he will succumb to emotion. I have a task for you."  
At this, Azula looked up with a malicious smile on her face.  
"I want you to capture the Avatar and our water bender and bring them back to me."

**End of Book 1: Water **  
**(Or if you want to go by the romantic/Zutara aspect)**  
**End of Book 1: Seeds of Love**


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry for the late update **

**Book II: Earth OR Book II: Love in Full Bloom**

**Writerswand's**  
**Boiling Water**  
_**The Avatar State  
The Cave of Two Lovers**_  
**Chapter 14**

**The Avatar State**

Aang's grey eyes shot open and he sprang up, now sitting. He looked around him and saw Sokka, Jet, Kinto, and even Jojo all still sleeping like the heavy sleepers they are. Aang sighed. He had wanted to talk to someone about this…but he decided not to bother anyone. He stood up and walked outside for some fresh air.

The next day Jet and Jojo stood by Appa awkwardly as they waited for the rest of the group to finish saying their goodbyes.  
Master Pakku carefully handed Kinto an icicle-shaped amulet filled with sacred water from the oasis that is capped with a crescent-shaped lid. "For emergencies, is that clear?"  
"Yeah, whatever," Kinto shrugged, pocketing the gift.  
Pakku turned to Aang and placed a box of water bending scrolls in his hands. "To help with your training"-he eyed Kinto-"Keep him out of trouble."  
Aang grinned and nodded. "I will, and thanks!"  
Lastly, Sokka walked up beaming, expecting similar gifts, but instead he received a pat on the shoulder. "Take care of everyone Sokka."  
Sokka frowned a little but quickly changed his expression to a somber one. "Yes, sir." Afterwards, Master Pakku instructed them to head east to the Earth Kingdom Base where General Fong would provide them with escorts to King Bumi in Omashu. There, Aang will be safe and able to learn Earthbending.  
"Oh, I already have an earthbending teacher!" Aang exclaimed, happily.  
"You do?" Pakku questioned.  
Aang nodded. "Yeah, Jojo. The best earthbender ever! Though, we decided to wait until I learnt waterbending to start earthbending."  
Jojo shifted her feet uncomfortably. "I'm not THAT good…"  
"What are you playing at? You're amazing!" The rest of the group agreed.  
Pakku eyed the green eyed bandit. "Well, I wish you luck, you will need it, I think."  
Aang smiled and thanked him and the travelers climbed aboard Appa. In the air Sokka leaned over the side to call out to Pakku. "Say hi to Gran-Gran for me!"

***Katara***

Pink cherry blossoms fall lightly on a town located on top of a river, where Uncle Iroh was receiving a well-deserved massage after "three weeks without food and water and sea vultures ready to pick out their liver." Zuko was sitting down and leaning against the wall, wearing a large hat. I sat next to him, a hand on his knee comfortingly. He seemed lost in thought, but when I asked him about it, he said he didn't want to talk. I frowned slightly.

Our travelers landed on the east coast of the Earth Kingdom. Jojo automatically jumped off of Appa and landed on the solid earth, digging her feet in with ease. She fell backwards with a hard, loud _thump!_ and began making earth-angels. She jumped up and shot herself in the air, rising large spikes of earth from the ground beneath her before landing on one a hundred yards away. As she jumped to each, making her way back to the group, she earthbended them back down, making the ground level once again. When she finally jumped back onto the ground Aang ran up to her, excitedly.  
"So can I learn earthbending now?" he asked her, beaming.  
Jojo was taken aback. "Wh-what? I mean, don't you still have water bending training? You aren't nearly a master yet…"  
Aang shrugged. "Well yeah…but, I thought I could learn both at the same time! I'm already fairly good at water bending anyway. Better sooner than later, right?"  
Jojo shifted uncomfortably. "I agree but…I'm not sure I'm the best teacher…" her green eyes flickered to something on the right. "Besides, I should be going now, anyway."  
Sokka, who had just walked up after getting off of Appa with a large pack on his back, frowned. "Jo, if you think you've outstayed your welcome you're wrong."  
Jojo was surprised that he actually spoke to her. He hadn't the whole flight here. He hadn't even looked at her. Part of the reason was that he was moping the loss of Yue, but still…  
Aang nodded. "You can travel with us for as long as you like!" he beamed.  
Kinto let out a loud snore from Appa's saddle.  
"Oh will someone shut this kid up!" Jet cried, annoyed. He rubbed his eyes and jumped off of Appa, before jogging over to the group. "What's going on?"  
"Jojo wants to leave the group," Sokka informed him. "Without thinking of the implications too. She's supposed to teach Aang earth bending."  
"I'm not _supposed_ to do anything!" Jojo snapped.  
Jet's eyes widened. "Jo, you can't go—"  
Jojo threw her hands up in the air. "You guys just don't understand. I'm a bandit, a rouge! I live on my own, take care of myself. I don't stay very long at all in one place, and especially not in a group. This is getting way too cozy for my liking." She turned to Aang. "Kiddo, go to General Fong like the old man Pakku said to. Find an earth bending master willing to teach you; he probably won't be as great as me, but surely a better teacher." She turned to walk off.  
"But Jojo—"  
"I believe in you, Aang!" She called as she launched herself in the air, away from the boys.

Two long rows of soldiers stood in formation aboard a large Fire Nation ship, facing each other. A door opened and four men carried out a covered sedan chair. Two of them pulled back the front curtain and an attractive girl in Fire Nation apparel stepped out. She motioned for the soldiers to rise, and continued to explain to them how her brother and uncle have disgraced the Fire Lord and brought shame to all of them. "You may have mixed feelings about attacking members of the royal family, I understand. But I assure you, if you hesitate, I will not hesitate to bring you down. However, as my father strictly informed me, you must not lay a single scratch on our water bender. She must be returned to my father unharmed. Is that clear?"  
The soldiers nodded affirmative.  
Princess Azula nodded. "Dismissed."  
As the soldiers depart, the captain walked down and reported to her that the tides would not allow them to dock before night fall.  
"Would you care to explain why this is?" She asked, obtusely. "Do the tides command this ship?"  
"I do not understand, princess—"  
Azula's amber-colored eyes flared angrily. "Are you talking back to me sirrah? I command this ship; not the enemy, not the ocean, not anybody but me. If you don't have the intellectual capacity to understand this I have no use for you." With a swift kick she sent the man flying off the side of the ship.

Meanwhile, Appa soared through the sky carrying a group of very grumpy boys. They almost missed the Earth Kingdom Base, nearly flying over it, but Sokka pointed it out just in time and Aang brought them down. A circular stone wall surrounded it with a pagoda in the center. When they landed, they were greeted by General Fong and his twenty men who addressed them all with respectful titles. Fireworks then suddenly burst into the sky from green capsules shot by Earthbender soldiers.

In a dimly lit room at the top of the pagoda, General Fong divulged his knowledge about the Northern Water Tribe attack and how Aang single-handedly took out the Fire Navy fleet.  
"Not quite single-handedly…I still had a lot of help," Aang said, modestly.  
"Doesn't matter! It was mostly, and by mostly I mean practically entirely, just you, was it not? Either way, you are certainly ready to face the Fire Lord."  
Aang looked flabbergasted and stumbled over his words.  
"Sir, whilst Aang is very powerful even now, he still has yet to master all four elements," Sokka pointed out.  
"If the Avatar is powerful enough to wipe out hundreds of battleships in minutes, he can defeat the Fire Lord now-" General Fong persisted.  
Kinto interrupted the conversation. "But, Aang can only do that in the Avatar State, right?" he asked, looking at Sokka, who nodded firmly.  
Jet leant against an earthen wall, picking at his nails.  
"I am well aware that the Avatar's eyes and tattoos glow and when in that state he possesses unbelievable power," Fong continued. "With power leading the way, with you as our ultimate weapon, the Earth Kingdom soldiers could go straight to the heart of the Fire Nation."  
Aang hesitated for a moment too long. "I don't know how to get in or out of the Avatar state," he confessed.  
"It's decided then," Fong said quickly. I'll help you figure out how to get into the Avatar State and then you'll face your destiny."  
"Sir, we already have a plan. Aang will face his destiny in his own way, in his own time," Sokka countered, defensively.  
"I know you may not be fully aware of this, but whilst the Avatar is wasting time learning all the elements the war goes on." Fong ushered Aang over to a window and showed him the wounded soldiers returning from the infirmary. "Those are the lucky ones. They came back. People are dying, Aang. You could end it. Now."

Nearing sunset on the Fire Nation ship, Azula trained on the deck while two identical old ladies with their gray hair in buns scrutinized her every movement. She shot a beam of lightning into the open air and one of the ladies replied "Almost perfect." The other old lady confirmed this by stating; "One hair out of place."  
A crazed look enters Azula's eyes as she glared at the misplaced hair. "Almost isn't good enough." She pushed the hair back behind her ear. She does the lightning attack once more.

That night Aang approached General Fong. "I'm in. I'll fight the Fire Lord in the Avatar State."  
Fong nodded, satisfied. "Thank you, Avatar. You will have served us a great honor, the greatest."  
Aang nodded in response and returned to bed to tell the boys. They all agreed—for once—to some extent.  
Sokka shrugged. "If that's what you want to do. Well, to be honest, you are pretty incredible when you get your glow on," he smirked.  
Aang managed a small chuckle. He turned to Jet. "Jet, what do you think?"  
Jet looked up, a piece of wheat falling out of his mouth. "Eh?"  
"The Plan. General Fong. Avatar State."  
"Oh right." Jet picked up his piece of wheat. "Well, I was kind of knocked out when you were in the state back at the North Pole, so I dunno what the fuss is all about, but it sounds powerful, so go for it."  
Aang smiled a little and nodded. "Thanks Jet."  
"No problem bro."  
At that Kinto let out a loud snore and hiccupped in his sleep. Sokka sighed. "Guess we should follow his example and get to sleep. You better bet Fong-y's gonna give you a long day tomorrow Aang."

The next day Jet woke up a bit late. Even later than Kinto, this was a surprise. That boy did _not _like to wake up in the morning. He yawned and grabbed a handful of oats and began munching on them before leaving the sleeping quarters. Outside Fong seemed to be having Aang do endless tests, which Sokka and Kinto helped with, or supported Aang, occasionally. More often than not they complained about it. Not wanting to get involved, Jet decided to take a walk. Just to be somewhere quiet, to think, maybe to train a bit. The sun was gaining in the sky, but it would still be a few hours until midday, before it got too uncomfortably hot. Yeah. He'd like that.

Back at the tranquil village, Uncle Iroh dropped his bag and shells he collected poured out onto the wooden table. He picked some of them up, examining them and playing with them in his hands. "Ah…I'll definitely enjoy these for years to come," he smiled, blissfully.  
"Ooh! That's a pretty one!" I exclaimed, picking up a smooth, clean white shell shaped like a crescent moon, but with long, thin waves across it.  
"You do realize we have to carry everything ourselves now? Silly seashells are not necessary whatsoever," Zuko scolded us.  
I was about to retort a reply when a familiar, feminine, but strong, voice greeted us. Well, them, she practically ignored me, like always.  
"Brother! Uncle! How _nice_ it is to see you both here!" Azula called from across the room.  
We turned around to view her smiling face. "What are you doing here?" Zuko asked.  
She walked toward us. "You know, in my country, pleasant hellos are exchanged before asking question. Have you become uncivilized so soon, Zuzu?"  
"Don't call me that," Zuko said through grit teeth.  
I took hold of his wrist gently and began rubbing the inside soothingly with my thumb. "No fire, Zuko…" I murmured. _Especially_ when around Azula…she provokes it half the time anyway.  
"He means, he'd appreciate it very much if you would refrain from using silly pet names when you're just siblings, not lovers, and when you haven't even seen each other in years. Or at least, not unless he can too, Zules…or would you prefer Azu-Azu?" I gave her a little smirk.  
Her amber eyes glinted as she glared at me. "And I would appreciate it very much if you only spoke when spoken to, peasant."  
I scoffed. We were raised almost the exact same way, well, since we were seven at least. "Peasant?"  
Before I could continue I felt a hand on my shoulder and Iroh entered the conversation in a more respectful tone. "Hello Azula. I see you are looking good. May I ask what you want us for?"  
"It must be a family trait to get straight to the point." Azula, whose fingers were running along the tabletop, crushed one of his shells. "I come with a message from home. There are rumors of plans to overthrow father, and, honestly? Family are the only ones you can _really_ trust, you know." She turned to face Zuko directly. "Father realizes he gave you this…quest to find the Avatar, but he would really like…" her eyes flickered over to me for a very brief second. "You to come home," she finished.  
"Azula, you know I can't do that. I can't go home without the Avatar. I need to prove myself to father, to show him what I'm capable of," Zuko explained.  
"You don't need to prove to him anything," I mumbled.  
Azula laughed out loud. "Do you really still believe what I told you when we were kids Zuzu? That father was going to kill you? I was scaring you Zuko!"  
Zuko didn't respond.  
"You do! Don't you? Oh my, am I good or what?" She obviously found this hilarious.  
"Quite evil, actually," I whispered, faintly.  
Azula's head shot over to me. "What did you say?"  
"Nothing ma'am," I gave her my sweetest smile.  
Her eyes narrowed but she turned to Zuko. "He's not going to kill you Zuzu. You're his firstborn, his son, his _heir_. He respects that, despite the man flaws in your character."  
"Zuko has no flaws, or at least, nothing out of the ordinary…extraordinary."  
"If you speak out of turn one more time peasant—"  
"What? Will you shoot me with lightning? You can't. I've had a lot of time to think Azula. If your father didn't want to keep me alive I would have been killed years ago."  
Azula snarled, but I knew I was right. She lifted her hand and slapped me hard across the side of the face, using the back of her hand rather than her palm.  
I lunged at her, but unfortunately didn't get far as Iroh held me back. So I spat instead. She sidestepped, sadly.  
"Azula!" Zuko exclaimed.  
Azula spun around on her heel. "Zuko! Are you coming home or not?"  
Zuko stumbled over his words for a bit, tangibly upset. "Give me some time to think Azula!"  
Azula straightened herself out and nodded shortly. "I'll be back tomorrow."

Back at the Earth Kingdom Base, Aang shot up in bed from a terrible nightmare. He crawled over to Sokka and shook him awake. "Sokka, Sokka, please wake up," he pleaded with the sleeping boy.  
"W-What?" Sokka asked groggily. He sprang up and looked around. "What? What's happening? Are we being attacked? Is it Zuko?"  
"No…I had a nightmare…"  
Sokka sighed and sat down. "Aang, you're not a little kid anymore, can't you handle nightmares on your own? The sleep kind, anyway."  
Aang nodded. "I know…it's just, I don't want to bring on the Avatar State anymore. Do you think the General will be mad?"  
Sokka shrugged. "What can Fong-y say? You're the Avatar; who knows better than you?"  
Aang nodded slowly, still uncertain.  
Just then Jet emerged into the room and swiftly walked over to his bed.  
"Where were you all day? We could have used you!" Sokka demanded, followed by a loud Kinto-snore.  
"Taking a walk," Jet said shortly.  
"Why?"  
"Because I felt like it."  
"Without telling anyone?"  
"It's none of your business Sockface, now if you don't mind; I want to get to sleep."

The following morning about an hour or two after sunrise Aang told General Fong that he had decided not to go through with the tasks anymore.  
The benevolent face of General Fong looked disappointed. "Are you absolutely certain?"  
The general sighed. "I was afraid of this."  
Suddenly he sends his desk flying into Aang who is sent out of the top of the pagoda. Completely taken by surprise, but fortunately with fast reflexes, he manages to airbend to soften his fall and rolled out of the desk's path just before it crashed to the ground.  
"Attack the Avatar and his friends!" Fong ordered his soldiers.  
Aang glanced around at the gathering soldiers in disbelief and Fong jumped out of the pagoda and used earthbending to land safely.  
"What are you doing?!"Aang asked him.  
"We're about to get results." Fong answered, simply.  
Desperately, Aang dodged giant coin-shaped stones, with a square hole in the middle, that were propelled at him from every direction.  
Sokka was held captive in the pagoda by two soldiers. He kicked back with his heels to force the men to drop and release him and ran out.  
Kinto ran out of the bunkroom hearing the commotion and quickly gathered what was happening. He bended water out of a nearby bin and started whipping earthbending soldiers ferociously.  
Jet was nowhere to be seen.  
Meanwhile, Aang air scootered around and dodged stones and earthen walls jutting out of the ground. He scootered up the wall surrounding the city, but two Earth soldiers riding ostriches pursued him. As the air ball ran out out he continued running up the wall, but the two soldiers swung their weapons ahead of him and he back flipped onto the ground once more. He dodged their attack again and ran across the field when stone coins rapidly rise up around him and pull him in front of General Fong.  
"You can't run forever!" the General yelled.  
"And you can't fight forever!" Aang exclaimed.  
At this Sokka emerged riding an ostrich and ran it toward Kinto, who was being swamped. He drew his war clubs and began beating away any earthbender who got too close.  
Aang continued to dodge the giant stones sent at him.  
All of a sudden two giant boulders come colliding together—their target being Sokka and Kinto. They start to sprint out of the collision zone but are too late—fortunately the boulders stop in midair, just pinning the two water tribe boys. Kinto whipped the boulders with his remaining water, to no avail, and they could do nothing but watch as the dirt beneath their feet rose up, quickly turning to mud. They shouted and struggled to get free, but it was no use; they were sinking. By the time they had sunk halfway the boulders were whipped out of the way, making them visible to Aang, which Fong had made sure was paying attention.  
Aang's grey eyes widened, and they started to water. "Please, don't do this!" he begged.  
The sinking was happening rapidly, and now only' Sokka and Kinto's heads were above the ground. Aang fell to his knees. "You don't have to do this!"  
"Apparently, I do," Fong said, as Kinto and Sokka are completely sunk into the earth.  
Aang lunged for them, but it was too late. He was alone. Alone with Earth Nation soldiers and their wicked General. His _family_. His whole body shook uncontrollably and when he turned around to face Fong, his eyes and tattoos were glowing and a look of pure hatred and rage showed clearly on his face.  
The general grinned with delight and triumph that it worked, but his expression quickly morphed to one of utter fear when Aang sent him flying into a wall.  
A massive dirt tornado surrounded Aang, picking up speed.  
"You can stop now! It was all just a trick to trigger the Avatar State! Your friends are fine!" Fong called out to Aang over the noise.  
Sokka and Kinto were brought out of the earth, breathing heavily as Aang descended down, sending a powerful earth force that obliterated the area. Suddenly his spirit separated from his body and rose into the sky where Avatar Roku on his dragon swooped in and picked up Aang. "It is time you learned," Avatar Roku stated.  
The two were taken among the yellow clouds and Avatar Roku explained to Aang the purpose of the Avatar State: it is a defense mechanism, designed to empower him with the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars. "At the Avatar State, you are at your most powerful." When he explained the glow, four images are shown: one of Kyoshi levitating gargantuan statues; another showing a waterbender sending a tidal wave; a third showing an airbender directing wind powerfully against grass and trees; and a fourth showing a firebender sending magma flying out of volcanoes.  
"But, you are also at your most vulnerable."  
Reincarnations of his former self appear among the clouds. The previous avatars then line up and one by one disappear. Avatar Roku explained that if Aang is killed in the Avatar State, the reincarnation cycle will be broken and the Avatar will cease to exist.  
Aang now understood the importance and caution he must take when in the Avatar State. His spirit descended down into his body that was surrounded by an air shield, and Aang gazed shamefully at the devastation he had caused.  
Kinto and Sokka ran up to him. "Are you all right?" Sokka asked.  
Aang nodded. "Yeah, I think so."  
At that moment, General Fong walked up. Sokka and Kinto spun around, guarding Aang from him. "Don't you even think of coming one step closer," Kinto snarled.  
Fong ignored them and looked directly at Aang. "You're Avatar State was almost perfect. Now we just need to find a way to control it. It'll take time, but I know we can do it!"  
In his fervor, General Fong didn't notice Jet riding in on an ostrich and knocking him unconscious from behind with his tiger-hook swords. "I've wanted to do that for a while now." He looked over at the soldiers. "Anyone have a problem with that?"  
They all quickly shook their heads no. The boys were ready to depart for Omashu.

"Zuko we can't go back to the Fire Nation," I begged him.  
Iroh was playing Pai Sho with an elderly man inside and Zuko and I sat leaning against the wall outside, in each other's arms.  
"I know," Zuko told me.  
"No, not just because you want to find the Avatar. I fear your father has plans for me, bad ones."  
"How do you mean?" the prince genuinely asked.  
I inwardly sighed. He could be so thick sometimes. "Do you not remember what Admiral Monkey-face said, when he came with supposed-permission from your father to take your ship, men?" I asked. And me. Of course I remembered. I could never forget.  
"Not…quite. I kind of blocked it out," Zuko frowned.  
"'Yes, even you, as the Fire Lord considers you a valuable asset, and technically, you were supposed to be a soldier anyway. I honestly don't know why his majesty allowed you to come.'" I quoted.  
Zuko looked astonished. "He said that?"  
I nodded. "I think…sorry for bringing up a sore subject, but I think your mom prevented him from training me. And then…your uncle. With Iroh in the palace, I was safe. With Iroh there, Ozai could not touch me. Then you decided to pick him to go with you and he probably got excited for a moment, until…" I trailed off.  
"Until…?"  
"Until you picked me as well."  
"Oh…right."  
"It doesn't matter though. He got what he wanted anyway," I said, miserably.  
"Has he…?"  
"Have you not heard what people say about me? 'The waterbender who fights like a firebender.' They're right. Ozai's won."  
Zuko shook his head and drew me in closer "He hasn't though. You hate him. You're not brainwashed. You're able to think of your own free accord. Unlike me, anyway. Better than me."  
I frowned, looking up into his amber eyes, which stared off into the distance. "You're not brainwashed, Zuko?"  
"I might as well be. I know I should hate him, yet I can't help but to…well, love him. He's my father Katara, he raised me…well, kind of. Every little boy looks up to his father…and when he's the most powerful man in the world? Well, yeah."  
"The Avatar's the most powerful man in the world."  
"The _Avatar_ is but a boy, and he hardly knows even two elements."  
I sighed, but, I suppose what he said was true, for now.  
Zuko stood up, pulling me up alongside him. "Well, I guess you're right. We shouldn't go back. If not for my desires, for your safety. I won't let anyone take you from me Katara."  
I gripped his hand tighter. "I know."  
Zuko took a quick glance around. "Now let's get Uncle and get out of here before Azula gets back. I don't want you to get hurt…now don't argue with me, I realize you can fight, and very well, but Azula is a monster. We'll need to at least train you a bit more before we even think of facing her head on."  
I nodded, reluctantly.

In the tranquil village, an hour later, Azula cursed herself for not acting sooner. She held up a wanted poster with the faces of Zuko, Iroh, and Katara and warned the villagers that if anyone were to harbor these traitors, they would face the Fire Lord's wrath.

Between a patch of sakura trees, we still ran onwards until we reached a glade. Here we knelt down to rest by the river. Solemnly, Zuko took out a knife engraved with Fire Nation symbols on the blade and hesitated, before cutting his hair, chopping off his ponytail. He passed the knife to Iroh who did the same. I watched silently, glad they didn't ask me to cut my hair. Honestly, I don't think short hair would mask my appearance much, and I liked my hair.  
They dropped their cut hair into the river and we stand together in the glade; three outcasts; three refugees.

**The Cave of Two Lovers**

Jet was sitting on the shore of a small lake, leaning back on his elbows, as he chewed on a piece of wheat, sunbathing and just thinking. Sokka floated in the middle of a lake, relaxing, as Aang and Kinto practiced waterbending in the shallows. Due to their immature, childishness, half of it appeared to be just splashing around playfully, or at least that's what it seemed like to Sokka. Aang was really warming up to Kinto. Sokka and Jet still found him annoying. Perhaps part of the reason was that they were sleepy half the time due to inadequate night sleep because of Kinto's obnoxiously loud snoring! And Jet thought Sokka snored loud…  
Aang dropped the water he was bending and pointed ashore to something behind Jet. "Hey, look at that!" he called out.  
A small group of musical instrument-slinging Earth Kingdom nomads were walking along the shore playing and singing some silly song about love and peace.  
Jet stood up and stretched. "You do realize there's a war going on, right?"  
The man who appeared to be the lead nomad spoke whilst still playing his guitar. "And you do realize that you're only wearing underwear, right?" The man laughed out loud, obnoxiously.  
"Well…yeah, I suppose I am?" Jet scratched the back of his head, awkwardly.  
"And so are you, you, and you!" A girl behind the lead nomad giggled, pointing to each boy.  
After our group dried off and dressed they went to properly meet the friendly music group.  
"Well…I'm Sokka, and that's Aang, Jet, and Kinto," Sokka introduced the group. He went over to shake the leader's hand.  
He went forward and hugged Sokka instead. "Helloo! I am Chong, the leader of our traveling music group of nomads!" he introduced them all, in an excessively bubbly manner.  
"Hey, I'm a nomad too!" Aang said, excitedly.  
"Well Aang," Chong grinned. "You are all the welcome to travel with us! And your friends too."  
Aang scratched the back of his neck. "Well, at the moment we're trying to get to Omashu to meet with an old friend of mine," he informed them.  
"There's a shortcut through a tunnel passing under that mountain over there," Chong casually remarked, nodding his head over to the mountain.  
Aang's eyes widened. "Let's go then! Come on guys!" He turned toward the mountain.  
Sokka leaned in closer to Aang, his eyes narrowing toward the nomads. "I don't think we should go that way Aang. I don't trust these guys," he whispered.  
"Well, then what do you suppose we should do Sokka?"  
Sokka motioned to Appa dramatically. "We could FLY over the mountain!"  
Aang sighed and looked disappointedly at the nomads. "Okay…"  
As the boys were preparing to climb on Appa they heard a shout. They turned to see troops upon troops of Fire Nation soldiers advancing toward them, with at least half a dozen tanks and other war machines.  
"That's the Avatar's bison men!" a man who appeared to be in charge exclaimed.  
"It's a buffalo sir," another man corrected him.  
"Does it matter?" the leader asked, annoyed.  
"No, I suppose not sir."  
"As I was saying-that's the Avatar's bison! Get him!"  
"Craaaaap!" Sokka shrieked. "Into the cave, into the cave!" He ushered the group, including Appa and the nomads, into the mountain.  
"Oh! And I forgot to mention- These tunnels form a very confusing labyrinth protected by a curse!"-he wriggled his fingers spookily at the word-". Only those who put their trust in love can navigate through the maze; those who do not will be forever lost." Chong "wisely" decided to inform them as they ran.  
"Uhh…maybe we should turn back and try fighting the soldiers then?" Kinto suggested.  
But it was too late, once they entered, the group of pursuing Fire Nation soldiers in tundra tanks blew up the entrance to the tunnels, trapping everyone inside.  
The nomads lit a handful of torches and handed them about, so they could see.  
Appa started freaking out, running about inside the cavern.  
Aang jumped into action, airbending his way onto Appa. "Hold it boy! It'll be all right!" He assured Appa, petting him soothingly. He turned his head to the group. "He doesn't like being underground. He likes the air, you see."  
"No shit," Jet mumbled. "He is a FLYING bison."  
"Don't worry, I got this!" Sokka exclaimed, if a bit nervously. He handed his torch to Jet roughly. "All we need is some logic." He tapped his head and knelt on the ground, unfolding a large piece of paper he pulled from his bag. He began crudely drawing on it. "I'll make a map to mark our progress while traveling through the labyrinth. We should get out in no time."  
"Great idea Sockface. If anyone can read that chicken scratch of yours anyway," Jet said.  
Sokka stood up, holding his map out in front of him. "I can read it fine!" He snapped.

Zuko, Iroh, and I were trying our best to survive on our own. Things soon proved rough for our formerly pampered selves. Well, I wasn't during my early childhood, except that was a completely different way of life than this. And colder. Much colder. I knew how to light a fire! Though, they were firebenders, so that talent didn't matter much. I could cook though. …If we actually had something to cook in the first place that is. I can't magically produce food, unfortunately. That's what Zuko was trying to do at the moment actually—no, not magically produce food, find something edible for us to eat. Meanwhile, I sat with Iroh as he made a pot of tea for us.  
"Thi is the legendary white dragon brush, which makes tea so delicious, it's heartbreaking," he told me as he produced two cups.  
I licked my lips in anticipation. Boy, did I love tea.  
He poured me a cup and I carefully picked it up, gently blowing on it before taking a sip. It tasted a little funny, but not wanting to offend Iroh I drank it anyway. It was still pretty good.  
On my third cup I started to feel ill. I was having a little difficulty breathing, like I just ran for a while. I flung the cup away from me and knocked over the tea pot, emptying out the rest of the tea, before snatching away the cup in Iroh's hands.  
"What are you doing!?" Iroh gasped, straightening the kettle. "Wh—" He faultered. He reached for my hands and held them. "What's this?" He pushed up my sleeve a little and I noticed a bad rash—and it was spreading, we figured out when he moved my hair and noticed it was along my throat as well.  
My eyes widened. "You have it too!"  
"My girl…do you think it was the tea?" Iroh wondered.  
"I'm not sure…possibly, I mean, that's all we…" I trailed as Iroh scurried off. "Where are you going!?" I called after him.  
"Stay there! I'll be back in a minute!"  
He was right—he was. He handed me a branch with berries on it. "We passed these on the walk to this clearing. I knew I recognized them. They'll cure us."  
I nodded and copied him as he rubbed the berries on the rash. I faltered as I glimpsed Zuko approaching. "Zuko!"  
The prince noticed something was amiss and he quickened his pace to reach us. "What's wrong?" He asked, frowning.  
"I made Miss Katara and I some tea…unfortunately I must've mistaken the dangerous white jade bush for the legendary tea-making white dragon bush. Fortunately I found the cure! …I think. These are either bacui berries, which will cure us, or maka'ole berries, which will blind us." Iroh explained to his nephew.  
I shrieked and threw the branch far away from me. "I don't want to go blind!"  
Zuko swiped the branch away from his uncle. "We cannot take anymore chances in the wilderness!" He hesitated. "I…I suppose we should go find a nearby villiage for medicine."  
My eyes lit up, despite the dangerous of going into a village as wanted "criminals." "And food?" I asked him.  
Zuko nodded. "And food."

"Okay, Sokka, do you have any idea where we're headed at all?" Jet asked, annoyed.  
Sokka's eyes frantically moved about on the map before he finally threw it down in frustration. "Guys…guys I think the tunnels are continually changing around us."  
Before Jet could retort how idiotic that sounded an attacking wolfbat swooped down and caused a frenzy. Someone, Jet didn't quite catch who, carelessly threw a burning torch. It scared the wolfbat away, but unfortunately landed only a couple feet away from Appa, who panicked and starting running around like mad.  
"Control your pet Aang!" Jet shouted.  
"I'm trying!" Aang shouted back.  
Suddenly a loud thundering noise boomed and rocks began falling down all around them.  
"Cave in!" Aang yelled as he quickly jumped into action and airbended everyone away, sparing them from certain death by rock-crushing.  
Unfortunately, the group ends up divided. Aang, Appa, and Momo winded up together, Kinto with the nomads, much to his dismay, and Sokka and Jet was forced to travel through the tunnels with but each other.  
Whilst one could audibly hear Sokka and Jet shouting, blaming each other, Kinto groaned loudly, nearly as audible himself.  
"Don't let the falling rocks turn your smile into a frown!" Chong assured him, grinning.

In a nearby town the three of us come across a girl about my age. She had fair skin, brown eyes, and long, dark hair that was tied back. She was a pretty girl with a nice smile, friendly too, and caring, it seems, as she ran over to us with a worried expression, seeing how Iroh and I looked.  
She led us to a small building where she kindly told Iroh and I to lay down whilst she applied this oozy green paste to our rashes, after inquiring to what they were from.  
"Not very often do people in these parts mistake the white jade bush for the white dragon bush these days anymore, I take it you aren't from here?" the girl laughed, a sweet thing.  
Iroh laughed nervously, obviously embarrassed. "We're from…the west side of the Earth Kingdom, fairly small town, you wouldn't have heard of it."  
"You've traveled far then! I'm Song, by the way, and you?"  
Zuko spoke for him. "I'm Lee, and this is my uncle…Mushi, and, uh, Terumi."  
Iroh shot Zuko a quick glare, obviously displeased. "He's named after his father, so we call him Junior, isn't that right Junior?" he smiled up at his nephew.  
"Terumi means ocean," I blurted out.  
Song looked up at me as she was applying the paste to my rash. "Oh? Is that so?"  
I nodded slightly and looked up at Zuko with a slight frown. It was a pretty name…but really? He named a water bender…after water?  
Zuko gave me a small shrug in response.  
I sighed softly. Original, Zuko.  
Song laughed. "Would you all like to come eat dinner with my mom and I? It gets lonely with just us…and she always cooks too much food for just the two of us." She smiled.  
"Yes, please," Iroh jumped at the opportunity.  
That evening the five of us, Zuko, Iroh, Song, her mother, and I, crowded around a small table inside a modest house eating her mother's stew.  
"This is delicious, ma'am," I told her mother politely, when the conversation came to a lull.  
"Thank you dear. I, I don't believe we've ever had this many people over at once, not since…" She trailed off. She stood up. "Excuse me." She walked into a separate room.  
"I'm sorry for that. She hasn't been the same, none of us have, since the Fire Nation attacked," Song began. "You see, the Fire Nation raided our village years ago, they captured my father," She explained before turning to me. "Is your father fighting in the Hundred Year War?"  
My father… I nodded. "Yes. He left when I was small. I…I haven't seen him since. My mother was killed soon after, in an attack on our village, saving me." I had to stop myself. I had the sudden urge to tell this girl everything. It wasn't so often we came across a girl my age I could talk to. But I bit my tongue.  
Song nodded to me, smiling sadly. "I'm sorry for your loss. I hope you see your father again."  
"You too." I attempted a small smile, but quickly got overwhelmed with emotion. My father…my brother…I blinked to hold back tears.  
Song turned to Zuko. "And you?" she asked again.  
Zuko nodded grimly as he stared at the contents of his bowl.

After dinner Zuko and I sat on the front porch of Song's house, holding hands. We didn't speak; we just stared at the stars in the night sky. Soon,  
Song joined us, sitting on the porch step next to Zuko. After a moment she spoke. "The Fire Nation hurt you, didn't they?" She asked, lifting her hand to tenderly touch his scar.  
I felt a pang of jealously in my stomach. I didn't want her touching him…!  
He rebuffed her, gently moving her hand away from his face.  
Sympathizing with him, I assume, she lifted her skirt too much for my comfort to show him a long, burn scar up her leg, the result of a fire bending attack, probably not much less severe than Zuko's. I winced.  
Zuko's face expressed surprise upon seeing her injury. I suspect mine mirrored it.

After traveling for hours on end the two boys began to get tired—and very cranky.  
"Will you please give up on that map? You said it yourself; it's not going to work!" Jet exclaimed, exasperated.  
Sokka ignored him for once, furiously scanning the confusing map, and managed to walk straight into a wall…or, a door.  
Sokka fell backwards and looked up at the large door, illuminated by Jet's torchlight. He jumped up, leaving the useless map on the ground. He put his hands on the door. "Jet, help me open this thing, will you?"  
"Maybe if you said please?"  
"Jet!"  
"All right, all right." Jet carefully set the torch down and helped Sokka shift the door open before picking up the torch again.  
They exchanged glances before entering.  
Something caught Sokka's eye. He ran over to the wall. "Pass me the torch Jet."  
"Here, catch." Jet tossed him the torch.  
Sokka clumsily caught it and held it to the wall. "There appears to be cave drawings. They're telling a story, I think." Sokka moved about, looking at the engravings and narrating the story they told. A guy and a girl from feuding towns met atop a mountain, this mountain, probably. Despite the dangers of meeting, the loving couple found a way to continue their relationship in secret. After learning earthbending from the badgermoles…"  
Jet chuckled. "What, did these badgermoles actually teach them?"  
Sokka ignored him. "…they created this labyrinth, which only they could navigate successfully and served as a meeting place. However, one day the man did not come; he had been killed in the war between their people. The woman initially expressed her fury in a display of earthbending prowess which had the potential to destroy both of the warring towns; however, she instead declared an end to the conflict."  
"She should've destroyed both towns. That would've been more exciting."  
"…the two villages created a city to honor the couple's love; the settlement was named Omashu, derived from joining the names of the two lovers, Oma and Shu."  
"Creative name."  
Sokka jumped up and turned around, coming face-to-face with a statue of the lovers, marked with the slogan: "Love is brightest in the dark."  
Jet read it and paused. "…I am not kissing you. No way in hell. No way—"  
"No…I don't think it's that…" Sokka trailed off, lost in thought.  
"If Jojo was here I'd kiss her for sure. You would too, wouldn't you? Hah, she'd kiss you back too, knowing her. I think she did like you, you know. Half the time it was always 'Sokka this' or 'Sokka that.' Most of the time it was complaining about you, but not always. Sometimes I wonder if she even liked me at all."  
"Oh will you please shut up for once Jet? Jojo left; big deal. Okay, it is a big deal. We lost our strongest person, with the exception of Aang. Either way, moping around all day is not going to bring her back. Now will you please let me think?"  
Jet muttered something to himself but obliged.  
"Now where was I…right!" Sokka put out the torch and the room went dark.  
"Great going Sockface, now we can't see."  
"Shh…"  
Soon, the crystals on the floor began glowing, revealing a path, presumably, the way out. Sokka ran forward on it. "Come on Jet!"

Meanwhile, we departed from Song's residence.  
"Thank you so much for the excellent meal and for your offer to stay the night, but we really ought to head out," Iroh smiled, expressing his gratitude to the family.  
As they depart, Zuko entered the small stable and started readying the ostrich horse for travel.  
"Zuko! What are you doing!? We can't steal from this family! They hardly have anything, and they already helped us so much!" I hissed.  
"It's an easier mode of travel Katara, and it's faster. Look at his feet; he doesn't even get used that much."  
"Nephew, please, listen to the girl, don't steal from this kind family," Iroh pleaded.  
But Zuko insisted.  
Iroh mounted the beast behind Zuko and the prince hoisted me up; I practically was on his lap. There really wasn't a lot of room on ostrich horses.

Kinto and the nomads continue to incur dead-ends in their quest for the exit. The nomads are seemingly happy, singing songs as they went, which was just annoying for the poor Northern Water Tribe boy.  
Suddenly, he heard a noise. "Stop," Kinto warned the nomads. "I said stop!"  
Everyone went still. A pair of enormous badgermoles emerged from a tunnel and advanced toward the group, cornering them.  
As Kinto backed up he accidently strummed a guitar with his foot.  
The angry badgermoles paused, intrigued.  
Before placing his foot all the way down Kinto jumped and spun around, scooping up the guitar. He began strumming a beat with his clumsy fingers, trying to pacify the beast.  
The nomads quickly gathered what happened and contributed their talents. They were successful in taming, or at least pleasing, the badgermoles, who began transporting them away.  
After about five minutes of walking something small flew out of an adjacent tunnel, over Kinto's head. Thinking it was another wolfbat, he dropped the guitar and went to unscrew his water pouch, before realizing it was Momo.  
Kinto ran into the tunnel Momo came out of. "Keep playing!" Kinto called back to the nomads. He soon reached Appa, with Aang riding him.  
"Kinto!" Aang cried out, happily.  
"Aang, come on! I think we found a way out!" Kinto called up to Aang, who led him back to the nomads and badgermoles, who in return, indeed led them out of the labyrinth where they are reunited with Sokka and Jet. The badgermoles departed and the boys bid farewell to the singing nomads, all happy to see them leave, except for Aang.  
They finally arrived at Omashu. However, they are devastated upon witnessing that the Fire Nation had taken control of the city.

**Review? :3**


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